Ashes to Ashes
by I'm-Modal-Soul
Summary: Ignorance is bliss for Cinder. During her attempt to steal the maiden's powers, she lost her identity and memories. Now, not knowing her memories are fake, Cinder attempts to be a huntress under Ozpin's supervision. Will Cinder regain her former, criminal identity? Or will this new Cinder collapse if this realization takes place?
1. Start

Landing onto Beacon academy isn't a simple feat that people gloss over. It's quite a view for anyone who hasn't visited, which accounts for the majority of the ones aboard the ship. Here was a young girl, prepped in a red plaid skirt, thigh high stockings, crimson heels and lustrous, eye catching black hair flowing down to the small of her back that bounced with every step . A gentle face molds the entire image together. If she had snarled or scowled, it'd be a completely different person. Had she owned a more...seductive personality, she could easily be a socialite and the alpha female of the school. Yet, Cinder Fall walks with her bags in front of her, taking in the sight with a sense of innocence and amusement only a child can muster. She wandered by herself, ignoring the signs or the chatter going on. Inevitably, this did get her lost in the process. A whole new world and she wasn't going to waste the chance to check every inch.

Now, out in the open and away from the students who were filing into the dorms, she checked around and saw she was alone. "Oh dear, did I stray too far?" And without warning, a sound of an explosion brought her to crouch down, to make herself smaller. She closed her eyes, clamped her ears shut with her hands, frightened at the unexpected boom. She's not quite used to fighting, so these sounds made her look far attuned to a civilian than an upcoming aspiring huntress.

"Are you alright?" The muffled sound of a boy managed to cut through her attempts at shielding the outside world out. When she looked up, she saw a blonde hair teen, smiling and with a hand stretched out. She glanced at his hand, a bit nervous but nonetheless, didn't want to reject his kind offer. She rose up to her feet, smiling.

"Sorry, I must have looked like a child" she mused, brushing her hair back.

"Don't worry, I was a bit scared myself."

"Oh, so you're the honest type, I thought you would try and act macho in front of me."

"Me? No, of course not." He joked, in reality, he wasn't fast enough on his feet to try and impress her.

"That's good, shows you have nothing to lose." Obviously, the slim girl had no issue showing kindness, and providing a little bit of banter. "Do you know where I can find the entrance of Beacon? I strayed too far on my own cause I'm amazed at the sheer size of it, and realized I'm all alone...until you showed up mister..." she trailed, realizing she doesn't know his name. "Excuse me, I never got your name."

"Oh..it's Jaune, Jaune Arc."

"Jaune" she worded, looking him in the eye until smiling. "I'm Cinder, Cinder Fall."

"Cinder..."

"Hey!" The two turned around tot he voice of a young, petite girl, wielding a scythe, and what looked like a bit of ash covering her cape. She brushed herself off the best way she could. "How do I get to the entrance?"

"Well, me and Jaune are going to go and try and find it, weren't we" she asked, looking over to the blonde student with optimism.

"Yeah, we're all lost so we'll just get lost together and see if we get lucky." Ruby listened and realized she was better off making connections like this than get lost by herself.

"I guess that works. Name's Ruby." She turned to Jaune. "I know your name, and what's yours?" The slender woman turned her head around with a smile.

"Cinder Fall."

"Cinder, cool name."

"Now, don't think I'm not confident in your ability, but how did you enter Beacon, at your age? You don't look older than fourteen."

"Fifteen!" The age struck a nerve with her, to the shock of Jaune and Cinder. "Ahem, as I was saying" she began, recounting the story of how she was scouted. A dust robbery at the hands of the white fang, with no clear sign of their motives and managed by a low ranked captain. some guy with a bowl hat and cain, go figure. A teacher from Beacon observed the fight and thought she was a good candidate to head for jail, but the headmaster saw more potential in her. "So...that's about it. You Jaune?"

"Me?!"

"Yeah, what's the matter?" He wasn't quite ready to discuss how he forged his way into beacon.

"Oh, I just applied and they accepted my application."

"That was easy, I'm sure you'll fit well here. And you? Cinder?"

"Me?" Surprisingly, she couldn't piece the memories together, thinking in deep thought. "Well..." Soon, she did catch it, just a glimpse. "Ozpin watched me fight once, it's not clear, maybe cause I was tired or something, but he thought I fit well here and was eager to recruit me."

"Oh, so you're one of the students to look out for!" Jaune was impressed, catching the headmaster's attention in a single fight? What was she capable of? "What's your weapon?"

"Yeah Cinder, what's your weapon?"

"My weapon?" Again, some difficulty in capturing that memory. "Sorry, I feel a bit jet lag, I can't really speak on it." Perhaps a form of modesty to not show her potential foes her weapon. But the look on her face, showed a huge strain in an attempt to remember.

"Hey don't force yourself." The boy was quick to see her pain.

"Yeah, just take it easy, don't overdo it on the first day, you know?"

"You're both right, sorry, guess I'm not one hundred percent." The two bystanders rested a hand on her shoulder, to say all would be fine and they walked forward. She took a step and felt an insane pressure of heat between her shoulder blades. She gritted her teeth and quickly pressed a hand there, to feel nothing in its place. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Is she hallucinating? Ruby took note when she turned around and saw there was a huge distance between them.

"You want me to go get the nurse?"

"No, that won't be necessary" she began, waving that off and walked normal on her own power. "I needed a breather, that's all. I'll be fine."

"Okay, but if you ever need help, just let me or Ruby know, okay?" Jaune was doing wonders to show his caring side.

"Thank you." And so, the trio walked around, but soon enough, they would enter the auditorium, awaiting for a supposed announcement. In the distance, a crow observed it all, before flying away from the campus.

* * *

A dark, gloomy atmosphere consumed the office where Ozpin resides, accompanied with the help of Glynda who watched the entire thing unfold on her tablet, a camera to view the trio and more importantly Cinder's arrival.

"She's here." Tension was thick in the air.

"Good, she is a guest of ours and we must keep a close eye to ensure she's at her best." Doubt began to fill the mature woman, knowing to trust the man who rules this school but rightfully she has the urge to check his mentality.

"Is this safe? Do you really think this was a sane idea to begin with?"

"How else do we deal with a criminal housing the fall maiden's abilities?"

"I understand the trouble this may bring without her under our supervision but having her here in our school, forging her an entirely new identity because she lost her original one is simply insane!" Ozpin simply drank his coffee with a somber look, taking in the entire idea of what he's done.

"I'm not happy about this, but, there are some measures I just can't refuse, and even General Ironwood, a man I rarely come to terms with on some subjects, even aided me on this. Prison isn't suitable, she's nowhere close to her former self. If anything, she's a typical seventeen year old woman embedded with muscle memory of her past training and the fall maiden's powers." It was a scene to behold the transformation ofthe one who attempted to kill and take Amber's powers. Knocked unconscious during the transfer, from a certain old man, she was a completely different person. The blow damaged her memories, only left with a name, and a blank state but with the power to battle. Opportunity knocked on Ozpin's doorsteps. "Still, she's to be kept on close watch. Amber is still alive thanks to our own medical research. Until Cinder can cope with these new powers, we can't bear to attempt a transfer. Or have Cinder herself lose control over the semblance."

"And if her old memories comes flooding back?" Ozpin closed his eyes, understanding what that would mean.

"I'll be forced to handle my own mess and clean it up." He didn't think twice on the repercussions of a forced remembrance. "I am just as sickened by my decision, but Glynda, what other option would you take with something that potent living inside her?"

"..." She sighed and removed her glasses to ease the strain between them. "I never had to question your decisions, until now sir. Will I be doing anymore down the line?"

"I pray it doesn't get to that point." He tapped his cain and rose to his feet, walking next to his companion. "Now then, shall we greet the new students to their wonderful academy?" Glynda returned the glasses onto her face and nodded. "Good, let's see what potential lies ahead of us this year." And so, the two faculty members entered the elevator, leaving the dark room to provide hope for the optimistic newcomers.

* * *

A forest, far away from normal civilization, and with a few humans walking around in a camp off the main roads. A militia one might call it, a branch of the white fang. Faunus checked their weapons, goods, dust and assorted them all in a neat line. Others were busy chatting while some were sightseeing.

A green haired girl simply stared at the clear blue sky, with both hands behind her in a grasp. She looked somber, despite the peaceful atmosphere. "Cinder..." she muttered, knowing she's gone and uncertain where she may be. She just recalled her lying on the ground and needing to run from the scene with her partner. She couldn't do anything, but she still owed so much to that woman that giving up now would be blasphemy. A strong resolve filled her eyes. "I'll find you."

"You mean we'll find her...right?" A gray haired teen intervened her little soul searching moment. He pushed her on her right shoulder, like a big brother would. "Don't hog her all to yourself Emerald. She did things for me too." She chuckled and pushed him back, with far more force.

"Yeah Mercury." She took a deep breath and nodded." ...let's see if we can turn up anything for her..."

* * *

 _Author's notes_

 _This is a proof of concept idea, nothing more, nothing less, I might continue it, if I think about it._


	2. Flirt

The speech was...not the warm welcome to Beacon Academy as one would hope. The mature man who spoke on the podium looked disinterested yet always made the time to sweep his eyes in her general direction. She's just an upcoming huntress, there isn't anything that separates her from the rest of the crowd, so she thought nothing of it, or the intent behind it. She did everything to deflect as much attention on her until it was over.

The unaware woman glanced around for a prompt exit, feeling uncomfortable being by herself. Her mental musings would halt when the tappings of metal clicked louder and louder. The source of the incessant tapping was the owner, the headmaster of Beacon showing even more interest than his speech a few moments ago. The meek, bashful personality is a far cry from the murderous self presented not long ago. Ozpin stopped in front of her, sizing her up swiftly and making note of the changes.

"Your eyes have a certain glow. Use them to your advantage."

She couldn't understand if it was a compliment or a hint at something more. The interaction was short, but something stirred inside her, like an ember, a gentle warmth at her heart made its presence known. Yet as fast as it came, it left her and never made Cinder question it. Glynda announced shortly after where the remaining students should head for the time being until tomorrow when the exam begins, leaving the two administrators to themselves.

"She seems normal. Scared, but normal." The man spun around after his quick observation, heading en-route to his office.

"For now" Glynda quipped, following him. "We can not watch her every step you know?" The headmaster sipped from his mug as he basked in the thought and warmth of black coffee. He remained silent, but his expression showed he was thinking of solutions. "Not to mention teams."

"Don't worry, that is already taken care of." Glynda pushed her glasses in at his nonchalant response.

"Oh? Mind filling me in on this?" Ozpin takes another stoic sip until he sighs as the two entered the elevator.

"Why of course." The metal doors closed shut, leaving them alone to handle their business.

* * *

Now, students separated equally in the large room, to rest for the upcoming exam. The new class of students were either sleeping already or checking their phones due to boredom. Anxiety sat at Cinder's stomach, eating away at her self-control. She got by on qualifications alone, but doubt lingers in her mind. Did she had what it takes? Will she die out there? Will help even be given? She was so lost in thought, she didn't hear the greetings of a familiar boy.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Huh?" She snapped out of it, after such depressing thoughts, she turns to the source. "Oh...Jaune, sorry, I was thinking."

"Thinking about what? You look worried."

"Um..." She looked shy, as she always been when meeting new people. She doesn't know where she got such a bothersome habit, it's a friendly guy, just talk."It was nothing...really. Why, was it that obvious?"

"Very obvious." He sat down next to her, finding a companion to speak with. Ruby had her hands full with a certain white-haired girl and her sister. In fact, their shenanigans were the source of the loud two continued to talk over the banter though.

"Yeah, I guess I'm nervous, I don't know if I'll pass the test tomorrow."

"You're telling me, I'm trying to forget about tomorrow."

"But, we got into Beacon, so, I think we have a safe shot at getting in...no?"

"Yeah..." He paused briefly as a little fear kicked in. "You think there'll be Grimm involved in this exam?"

"Most likely."

"Figures. I'll just have to give it my all. How else can I be a hunter? And save others?

"Are you trying to imply I need to be saved by you?"

"Uh..." Cinder did smile at what he was implying. She's nervous, but something innate told her all will be fine.

"By the way, duck."

"Huh?" He didn't catch her warning, a fluffy, white pillow flying like a bullet to the back of his head and knocked him forward. While still soft, he can sense that impact.

"Ow!"

"I warned you didn't I?" A playful remark as Jaune turned his head to see who caused it.

"Who threw that?" Cinder pointed him towards the three girls who all looked in different directions, putting up their best innocent look.

"I think it was blondie."

"Snitch" she muttered before smiling and trying to apologize. "It's my bad, just some sibling rivalry you know? Can you pass the pillow back?" Jaune grumbled at the request, wondering why they'd throw it in the first place, but he obliged.

"Now, what were we talking about?"

"Something about me needing to be saved." She drank from a personal water bottle as he slowly recalled the remarks leading up to the discussion. It took a moment as the three girls were back at a scuffle. Jaune gently smiled at the tease on her part.

"Ah, sorry."

"It's fine, seems like you have a big heart, maybe you try a bit too much, but the heart inside you is pure."

"I just want to succeed, and live up to my parent's name, you know? With that kind of pressure, how don't you feel a bit anxious?"

"Pressure huh?" This brought her to think about her beliefs. "I didn't think too much about trying to become a huntress. Just seem right, like the next step in life."

"So, it's like a dream to you then?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She glanced from the side and looked back at him. "Duck."

"What?" His reflex and senses worked this time as he did as instructed and Cinder caught the pillow in his stead. "Really?"

"It wasn't me!" Yang was quick to avoid guilt and fingers. And she had a point. It was Weiss' fault. Cinder tossed the pillow back to them, but a look on her face showed consequences if they continued.

"I think that's our cue to go to sleep Jaune."

"Yeah, I agree with you. Someone's head is going to come off at this rate." Following with a yawn, the boy vented a little to his new friend, and she agreed sinking back into the makeshift bed in her pajamas.

"Ah, good night." She tucked in, turning off the nearby bed light for blissful sleep. Until her perfect, well maintained hair becomes frazzled from a pillow thrown by a certain group. It was at that moment, the mood shifted. Rising from her place, she can catch the gloomy expression on their face.

"So, you didn't heed my warning?" A glance over to them brought the young girls to shock. It was an accident, this time for sure by the girls attempting to compete for a better spot to sleep on the ground and look nonchalant. Cinder walked up, clutching a pillow between her hands. "I'll give you my last warning" she began, cocking the dangerous weapon in her hand with a frown. "Duck."

Darkness overcame the trio, right as Blake, who was reading a fabulous book before being interrupted, smiled at finally receiving a quiet interlude. A gentle blow from her lips, to put out the candle lit flame in her grasp.

* * *

Light snuck through the blinds of the window, illuminating the foyer. Some woke up naturally, others with alarm clocks. For a certain fifteen year old girl, she woke up to the after effects of a hangover. "Ugh" Ruby muttered, realizing her head was spinning when her eyes opened. Who'd knew a feather filled pillow can inflict a concussion? Well, it wasn't that serious, but she savored the time she can close her eyes and ignore the nagging sensation of a rattled brain.

"Wake up sis, come on." Ruby opened her eyelids, catching sight of Yang, slapping her hand against the side of her head, a feather exiting in its place. "Damn, she got me good."

"Same, I didn't think she had enough strength to inflict that much wrath. But it is still a pillow, this upcoming test will offer a better insight. She's already on my list of worthy partners, if she can do the same with her regular weapon." Weiss was sitting near a mirror, a comb in hand to ensure her hair is prim and proper. Plus removing any excess feathers along the way.

"Am I on your list?" All Ruby received was a cold glare through the mirror. "It was worth asking..." she muttered, before getting up. A quick glance at the room showed the aspiring hunters and huntresses preparing for the exam and cleaning up where they slept. Cinder remained asleep in peace, an exact opposite from last night. The boy she had spoken with since her arrival had exited the shower, donned in a white T-shirt and a black shorts giving way to his long legs. After drying his face, he sees Ruby overlooking Cinder.

"Hey, you feeling better?"

"Not really. My ear's a little numb, I'm hoping it'll go away soon."

"Yeah. You'll be ready for today's exam right?"

"Of course, I always wanted to be a huntress, so, I can't mess this up!" Her eyes burned with determination. Weiss simply shook her head at this.

"If only wanting something got you it." She kept her uptight demeanor as she exited for breakfast and prep for the long day ahead. Ruby frowned, just a bit but turned to her sister who would surely give her some good morning motivation. "Yang? Are you re-" she began, until seeing she was gone, only the sound of laughter and a crowd from afar. "And she's gone."

"Should we wake her up?"

"Yeah, we only have so much time."

"Right...I think you should wake her up Jaune?"

"Why?" Ruby pointed to a nearby pillow. "Oh yeah." On the off-chance she still held some bitterness on not taking her warning serious, best use someone who didn't receive her wrath. He shook Cinder gently, before she violently sat up, as if she was ready to land after falling for so long.

"Cinder?"

Cold sweat stuck to her skin, her hair a slight mess and her eyes wide open. "Oh...Ruby, Jaune..." She sighed and finally her mind could be set at ease knowing a threat to her well-being is nearby. She was about to ask something, but didn't want to make them fret, so she changed gears. "What time is it? Am I late?" Her voice a little shaky at the start, but recovered in the end.

"N-no, your right on time. But any more and you might have had to wait another year." Ruby tried to brush off this unsettling tension brought by her. "But it's just one exam right? No pressure!"

"Jeez, and I thought you were the optimistic one..." Jaune also sensed this but tried to crack a joke about it, in hopes things would brighten. The sleepy woman would rise out of bed, smoothing out her night-dress and shaking her head.

"You two go get breakfast without me, I need to go get ready." Ruby and Jaune preferred to stay, expressing concern but both decided maybe some time alone would be best to fix whatever tangibles are running through her. Ruby turned around, heading for the cafeteria.

"I wonder if they have pancakes?"

"Hopefully someone didn't eat them all by the time we get there." The two students conversed until they were no longer audible, and now left cinder fall all to herself to recall the past minute or so of unconsciousness. That's where true fretting showed on her face, the one she believed she couldn't show them.

Thoughts, an unsettling chain of running from something, something she couldn't brand. Not a human, something worse, something more and something so intimate that it amplified the sensation. Glowing eyes and an innate hatred towards her core. Her mental legs ran to find a prompt exit but was always in that grasp, under someone's finger who will unleash fury. All of it is so real, and she felt trapped while under her slumber. And for a moment, even in reality, she still sensed this lingering paranoia crossing over into this plane. The world around her felt numb, she heard nothing as this scenario looped through her irises. Memories? Or body trying to psyche her out on this big event?

"Shower" she muttered, believing a hot rinse of water will remove these stains off her.

 _Unfortunately, these stains were scars._


	3. Circle

Jaune had finished his meal and was walking over to get his gear along with the rest of the students attempting to pass this year's exam. They made sure to give everyone lockers to store their items in preparation for today. He walked up to his locker, slipping into something smoother and light. He's unsure if he'll make it out alive so at least dress as if it his last. In times like these where having several sisters and the sole male sibling in his family, he always needed to overcompensate. It worked for him and helped him in various parts of life. Thus. it hasn't failed him yet, except in the name of love and flirting. The only time he was successful in such endeavors was yesterday, when he dropped the act and Cinder spoke in kind with him.

Nah, that was a fluke. He didn't trust that one moment as a moment to change his ways.

He's due for another failure mark when he eyes Weiss and some other red haired girl. He knew nothing of the girl, or what she stood for, only that she was cute, and believed he was good enough to be considered a possibility to the heiress of the Schnee company? Oh, his father told him by being confident, he'll succeed. After a hundred tries, there will be one that will eventually say yes. He didn't catch the girl who would be that outlier and would said yes every time standing next to Weiss.

"No." Firm, direct and to the point, the white haired girl was not going to accept his proposal. "It's not worth my effort."

"What? you haven't even seen me fight yet!"

"I think I've seen how you handle yourself and know what I'd be getting." An exasperated sigh leaves him, a little dejected. his teachings didn't net the results he wanted.

"Not taking it easy this morning?" This red hair girl tried to ease the put downs Weiss was making.

"I don't like giving people false hope. Best curb it when it comes up, you know?"

"Well, I'd be glad to join your team...Jaune, it was Jaune right?"

"Yeah. Thanks." He still wasn't in a good mood from Weiss' comments but it helped that someone would join. "Uh...what was your name?"

"Are you kidding me? You don't know who Pyrrha is? Have you been living under a rock?"

"No, it's alright Weiss. It's actually a nice change of pace. People normally know me so they try to push their status or grades by working with me. I don't think that trend will follow here." She gave a light joke, to which Weiss nervously laughed at. She wasn't far off from doing what this girl had disliked. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos."

"Pyrrha, huh? Cool name."

"Yeah, maybe we'll end up as partners throughout our stay here in Beacon."

"Maybe even as a team! The three of us."

"It's typically four members in a team, you do know that right?" Weiss reminded him of this crucial fact.

"Yeah, of course!" He continued to run this facade, forgetting that fact. "Wonder if Cinder would join us to make it a quartet?"

"Cinder?" Pyrrha wasn't aware of this fourth person that Jaune and Weiss knew, so the heiress to the Schnee company informed her.

"Yeah, a newcomer. I don't know anything about her, except she has strength that her body doesn't show."

"She's cool, a bit shy but, I think you'll like her a lot Pyrrha."

"Who's cool but a bit shy?" Speak of the devil, the raven haired girl got ready ten minutes after they packed their belongings. She brushed her hair back and greeted them with a warm smile. "Can't be me at all. I can see you're working the room and trying to make more "friends" with women" she motioned, keeping the conversation light. She added air quotation marks during friends as if she knew his real intention. She turns to meet Pyrrha for the first time. "I'm Cinder. I've already made my introduction to Weiss and Jaune yesterday." A little bit of bitterness shows on at the word choice of introduction. "I believe you are Pyrrha?"

"That's correct, did we meet before?"

No, I simply heard Weiss going on and on about how good you are as a fighter, so I did some research." Weiss grimaced as her attempts at looking naturally cool and a perfect partner going down the drain with one sentence. Either the motives were deliberate or Cinder didn't understand subtlety. "I'm interested, I want to see what you're made of considering you never lost a match." Her remarks were lacking any cockiness or over analyzation. A simple request to see their skill set first hand.

"I don't normally do battles with others cause it usually is for the wrong reason." She was quick to add to it. "You don't have a reason like the others that asked before you. It's actually a bit of relief. Just a simple duel, not to one up another." She was amused at this, along with Jaune for having completely different personalities she hasn't seen to this date. "I'd be glad to take you on Cinder." She acknowledged the girl in front of her.

"Well, let's leave that after we're officially enrolled in Beacon right?" Jaune tried to crack a joke and remind them they had a few minutes to get to the destination. The four already began walking until Weiss made a note.

"Where is your weapon Cinder?" Alarms rang in her head as she was going to head into the fight bare-handed.

"Oh right, my weapon." Cinder ran to her locker, removing her weapons. Weiss only looked in confusion. A weapon is a hunter's greatest asset and when heading to an exam to become one, it's the last thing to be recalled. Weiss figured she's possibly just a brute. Or simply unaware. Cinder grasped two metal blades with the edge curved to serve as a guard for her strike. Without thinking, she combined them together at the bottom of the handle to unite them as a single bow and held it in one hand, as if she's been doing this for years. "Alright, let's get going."

* * *

Everyone lined up onto the platform, as instructed by the headmaster. They were to head off into the woods, recover a chess piece hidden deep into a small cove in the woods and return back safely. Grimm will be present and they have all the authority to do what it takes to eliminate them if they grew to be a burden. No holds barred, the exams were to begin, except for a feared question by a young, upcoming lad.

"Will we have parachutes or something when we get thrown into the woods?" A calm sip of his cup was made before replying promptly.

"Nope. Anymore questions?"

"Yea-"

"Good, hang on everyone. Good luck." Everyone got launched one by one immediately, all with varying speed and velocity. There was one person missing however, Cinder, who stayed behind and looked puzzled at Ozpin and Glynda. She glanced down at hte metallic frame and didn't see anything wrong with it outright.

"Um, is my platform busted?" Ozpin walked up to her and every time, she felt uneasy, as if he stared right into her soul. Another part of her suggested it was best to listen.

"Cinder, we decided to give you a different role than the rest of our upcoming students. We will have to assign you a partner down the road thanks to uneven members, but that doesn't mean you can't participate."

"Oh, I thought I did something wrong." A warm relief flooded her, thinking she couldn't compete. Ozpin smiled at her brash nature.

"There's a certain grimm that will be present in this exam. It's airborne. simply kill it and you're in. Trust me, you'll know which one it is. But first, try to meet up with everyone to the listed location. We still need to test your aptitude if you end up cooperating with others." He turned his back on her, taking another swig at his morning joe. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." She crouched down, ready for what will come ahead. And as expected, her platform, launched her forward into the air, having been given a huge delay compared to the others. At first, she was worried, wondering how in the hell will she be safe when she nears the ground. Even now, she's falling head first towards sturdy trees and doesn't have the best game plan. A quick memory passes her, guiding her on what she should do in her position. Without thinking, she draws her weapon, using some left over dust on her to conjure an arrow to strike the upper half of an oak tree.

As she neared, the arrow exploded, breaking said tree in half, just for her to use as a vaulting mechanic, breaking her momentum until she became leveled with the other oak branches. She leaped, with incredible quickness and moved lightly to avoid the students from below and get to the objective as fast as possible. When she blinked, she couldn't believe she achieved that. She did have low standards for herself but it was like she moved on autopilot. She didn't realize her left eye glowed momentarily until returning to her natural color.

All of this action was caught on footage, relayed back to the practitioners, observing every single thing she does. Ozpin didn't react but Glynda looked in small surprise.

"You were right, she retained all of her information when it comes to combat. As Qrow stated, she's agile and quick on her feet."

"Yes, our dear friend Qrow also blessed us with Amber's staff and Cinder's original weapon. Our experiment is showing she hasn't missed a beat yet, on an unconscious level with her original weapon.

"Are you frightened at the chances the real Cinder might try and fight back" asked Glynda, knowing they are alone.

"I'm always scared when my students are in danger of a threat. I must put my life on the line for a better tomorrow. This is something I'll die for, if only that I'm ignorant to other solutions. Providing an amnesiac student with fake memories her true weapon wouldn't be problematic on it's own. But, providing her the weapon of a woman she nearly killed and now house the fall maiden's powers? Both decisions are equally bad. I chose the one which won't blow up in our face the most. We can remove memories, but as we spoke, body language and muscle memory are things we can't change as it's ingrained. She's attempting to become a huntress, she needs every little help she can get. And who knows what Amber's Staff would do, personality or power wise."

"Cinder did more than just steal her powers, she stole her aura, at some point the two auras are going to overlap. Will that cause a change in behavior? Or even Amber coming back?"

"That's uncertain. Which is why we minimize the risk by not giving her Amber's staff or anything resembling her for now. If Amber was conscious, I don't think she'll agree entirely to our decision. The out of body experience of how she is after her duel and knowing she's inhabiting the murderer's body will also be hard to explain. For as much glory they own as maidens, they are humans at the end of the road." He sighed, his head agonizing on the endless possibilities and running a mental stimulator and what ifs.

"Don't overthink it, it's only been a few days, stress shouldn't be eating away at you like this so early in the morning."

"Ah, such a morbid discussion that can be had at another time. Let's return to the exam, something more positive and up-lifting. Which reminds me, let's see how our future prospects are doing today." Grasping the tablet, he began to cycle through the other feeds to get a good, general idea of who will be representing Beacon, ever so often checking on Pyrrha.

* * *

 _Author Notes_

 _I'm playing with more ideas, I'm not sure where this will go but hope it's an enjoyable read and show what path I'm heading for with Cinder. Anyone that'd like to help me would be greatly appreciated cause I'm learning I can't do this all on my own, or else this won't ever come out with a regular schedule. Beta readers are greatly welcomed. So, until I feel like writing again,_

 _See You Next Time_


	4. Pawns

The scenery never changed for Cinder. Dark greens, earthy brown hues filling her vision. Her mind removed everything unnecessary to her goal. Leap after leap, the leaves rustled in her wake until there was no more trees to leap on, falling down to the grassy floor. When her legs made contact, she did a roll and her momentum carried her a few feet from where she originally landed. She stayed down, her knees recovering from rested her knees for a moment, until she rises back, finding neatly arranged ruins to gaze at. She put two and two together to realize this was the objective. Well, not hers, everyone elses. She checked and looked at the chess pieces placed on top of these pillars and grabbed one she personally enjoyed using when she participates in the game.

The queen, so powerful, but once captured, render's one side weak and unable to make mistakes anymore. There's only four pieces left standing, knowing at the very least most of the participant have stopped by to claim their piece. Who could be left she wondered, hoping it was someone familiar.

"Hey." She turned around, hearing a masculine voice calling out to her. It was Cardin and Russel, who seemed to have arrived a few moments after her.

"Oh, guess we're not the first ones here I'm assuming?"

"No way, we just ran past a group fending off some Grimm. We're here just for the piece and that's it." He stretched out his hand, his attitude coming off strong. "Now if you can kindly pass it to us missy, we can be on our way."

"Aren't you demanding."

"Just do as I say." She frowned at his rather unpleasant attitude. She looked down at the queen and nodded, throwing it over to him and the other Queen to Russel.

"Guess I was a bit slow to get here that I missed everyone." She thought out loud, planning on moving back to see if she has any luck.

"Better than fighting a huge aerial Grimm though."

"Yeah, I don't know what they're thinking, they're just showing off by that point." She perked up at this and reengaged with the two boys.

"Wait, there was a huge Grimm in the air?" Cinder stepped in, realizing this was what she needed to pass. "What did it look like? Do you know exactly where they were heading?"

"Aren't you demanding." He was snarky in response and for once, her eyes narrowed and her face darkened.

"Answer the question." He rolled his eyes at this but figured to get her out of his hair the fastest.

"Yeah, it was like a huge raven. They're taking it on right now on the north side of this forest." She was surprised he actually responded instead of playing the smart-ass card. A mischievous smirk shines on her face, and she knows she's up to no good.

"Well, if you boys don't mind, I have somewhere to go." She sighed before speeding past them, already hearing a booming voice in the background. Cardin and Russel simply stared back at her.

"She's as crazy as the rest of them. Whatever, let's move on, we got what we needed." Cardin already was making his way back to the start.

"You got it boss." Russel followed in suit, before hearing a loud hiss and Cinder sprinting back to the ruins.

"We got a bit of a problem." A double headed snake, colored in black and white wasn't pleased at all and was more than willing to kill the three hunters to feed its hunger.

"We?! Why the hell did you led it back here to is ?!"

"I was kind of hoping you two can handle it." She chuckled a little, not seeing the Grimm a threat and more of a way to bypass the encounter and get to her true objective.

"Are you out your mind?!"

"I'm in a rush. Sorry" Without more delays, the snake charged right after Cardin, making him grit his teeth.

"Great, just-"

* * *

"Great, how are we going to take this thing down?" Jaune attempted to speak through to everyone. The weakest member here in this group of eight, and simply want to come out a survivor, not on the obituary list. Truthfully, not a lot of options were there for the group as aerial combat wasn't there. But if there's a will, there's a way. And Ruby, the young scythe owner huntress to be showed no signs of stepping down. A smirk shows itself as she turns around for this impromptu team and confident they can take down the Grimm on both ends of their sides.

"Just follow my lead."

* * *

"You hear me? Follow my lead!" Cinder made it clear for her small group of what needed to be done.

There are three fighters and a Grimm separated into two entities, leaving it as a two versus three. Cardin nearly got killed on his part from the black snake attempting to swallow him whole. Cinder intervened with a fast swipe of her blade to the beast and brought enough momentum to make its attempt whiff. He looked in shock until she pulled him up off the ground and onto his feet.

"Keep up with me." Everything started to click for her, years of battle experience channelling inside and without needing mental work.

It took a while to get plans going as the snake focused on her. Something about her seemed to catch its attention but the other head occupied itself with the two boys. The trio simply were dodging until an opening presented itself. Though, it didn't came naturally. Cinder parried the snake's attack and leaped onto its body, running over to the other end.

"Now" she yelled, digging her blades into the eyes of the white headed snake. Being blinded, it couldn't correctly sense the follow up attack of the duo, striking with enough force to make it reel back in a daze. The sole female warrior leaped off and was now back with the trio. Only one snake head was able while the other tried to recover.

"It doesn't know how to die!" Russel clenched his teeth in disappointment.

"Calm down, there's a way to take it down, but I need time. I'll get this thing off our backs once and for all."

"You can actually take care of this thing?" Cardin was in disbelief that she had the answer for it.

"Do you have any better ideas? Or gonna give me more complaints?"

"Whatever, just kill it already!"

"Then do as I tell you." It was a rather quick and fast instruction to the two. Split the snake apart and don't die, buy time.

Cardin and Russel ran together in a straight line but both parted in two different directions. The now blind snake still had a great sense of smell and did what Cinder predicted, split from its brethren. This brought the snake to form one long line of muscle slithering on the ground. The goal was for a distraction, and this, is exactly what Cinder wanted in the first place. Ample amounts of flesh is visible for her strikes.

Leaping back onto the top of the ruins, she transformed her blades into a cross bow. She readied the bow sideways so the ensuing arrows would fire horizontally. Pulling hard on its strings with five arrows placed, she let the arrows be relieved of tension, speeding and digging into the skin of the snake grimm. It roared at the pain and immediately switched course, avoiding the two to focus on Cinder. The raven haired girl didn't move at all as it neared until the arrows lodged in its skin began to glow, and soon enough, explode across the beast.

A gust of wind blew in her direction, her hair blowing from the impact, but she smiled in satisfaction at her plan working. There was nothing left of the beast except ashes and dust residues. She lowered herself down to the ground, walking up to Ruseel and Cardin, who was a bit stunned at her accuracy and technique.

"Phew, I got a bit worried it wouldn't activate in time. Couldn't handle that much power in a short burst." This didn't stop Cardin to be arrogant.

"You're so sure of yourself."

"Says the arrogant guy who lost his composure to a Grimm? Who saved him?" His face crunched into a scowl, not liking a single bit of banter of this, or a crack in his armor.

"Tch." She couldn't contain her amusement at his reaction, knowing she has the upper hand. How the roles changed.

"I saved your life" she commented, walking ahead of him. She turned her head back to give one last comment before she continues her objective. "You owe me." She once again started to run to find Ruby and her friends. The disgruntled man shook his head at her words when out of ear shot.

"I don't owe you a damn thing at all."

* * *

Ruby rested on top of the cliff, panting, sighing to herself at the realization of what she had just done. Everyone needed to cooperate to take down a single grimm. If one act had been incorrect on their part, they might not have been able to defeat the pesky, intrusive Nevermore. She turned around, patting her clothes down and smiling. "Hey! We did it!"

Jaune in the meanwhile was on the ground, exhausted from trying not to die. Between running and getting sent from one zip code to the other by Nora, he had enough of Grimm for one day. "I don't want to see another Grimm ever again. Pyrrha turned to him and chuckled at his response.

"Being a hunter wouldn't be good then. Come on Jaune, here's my hand, get up." She gave him a chance to support himself, and he gladly took it.

"Okay, maybe not forever. More like for today." He smiled and the two shared eye contact. There was a small awkward silence, until Ren spoke up.

"It's not over yet, there's another one!"

"Are you kidding me? Did we not make it clear to his little pal what happens when you mess with us?" Nora smiled, always eager to fight again as she readied her hammer. Weiss wasn't in any condition to fight again, thus leading to any moments of manipulated movement to be unavailable. The rest of the girls simply stared with a little sense of disappointment.

"Ugh, again?" Yang raised her gauntlets up, knowing she can't relax just yet.

"Persistent huh?" Blake grasped her sword in anticipation for another round.

"Okay, we can do this again, let's-" Pyrrha began, until watching an array of arrows flying directly onto the large aerial grimm. It was like homing missiles locked onto a certain target or incredible aim. They all struck the creature, and only after a few seconds did rapid explosions enveloped its body. Smoke covered its body until it began to drop, falling deep down into the misty chasm like a rag doll. Not once did it moved, lifeless in its drop. There was only one question filling everyone's mind, and one spoke out for an answer.

"W-who did that?" Weiss turned to see who's responsible for a display of marksmanhip.

"Jeez, I must have ran a mile trying to catch up to that thing" spoke a familiar voice behind Jaune and his little group.

"Cinder!" Jaune was glad to see her alive and well, not catching wind of her when grabbing the chess pieces.

"What did I miss?"

"This bird just spontaneously combusted and it was like fireworks!" Nora added her own quirkiness to the chat.

"Morbid way to say that" stated Ren, his imagination not quite impressionistic like she makes it out to be.

"So it's dead. Thank goodness." She had to take a detour by assisting Cardin and Russel but she would be back on route. She gazed up to see a corpse of another Nevermore. "Looks like you all had some fun without me."

"You call this fun?" Jaune wasn't quite happy with the term but it only made the amnesiac girl laugh and it was infectious, filling the other participants, until it even got to him. A moment to relax, the worst is over and they knew nothing more would come to bother them in this exam.

* * *

The two admins observed the efforts shown by the team of eight and Cinder on their respective tablets. Gylnda looked pleased at the cooperation on all ends. "Hm, Bravo. They know how to work as a team." Obviously her mind raced over to the more dangerous prospect." Cinder has fantastic aim from long distance and a good sense of combat up close. She didn't miss a beat at all."

"To think she's not using her full powers either." Ozpin switched his camera to Pyrrha, taking a moment to think. "I think a rival would help keep her grounded and accountable if you catch my drift."

"And I'm certain you had nothing do with the very potent dust on her arrows Ozpin?" He chuckled at her keen perception.

"That kind of dust manipulation she was carrying prior to her capture is high end. Buying anymore would run my dry if I had to restock her supply. Best let her use it all up here then on a student. She'll have to rely on more standard, less refined means of dust in her forthcoming battles."

"I would have had to forbid her from participating in any sparring matches had she owned any more." Ozpin gave a simple nod before turning off his tablet, content with the performance from everyone.

"And that wouldn't be a good way to provide growth for a young upcoming huntress for herself, or for Pyrrha. I think it's time Ms. Nikos faces a true challenge for once. Come, time to make teams. I'm certain this will be an entertaining year for them...and a cautious one for us."


	5. Nostalgia

It's been a few days since the exam and the young lithe girl was fast asleep. She wasn't assigned teams, and truthfully, she was a bit down about it. Yeah, there is an uneven amount of students here but watching everyone else get nominated and having to play the spectator didn't feel right. Still, this is the card she's been handed. The only benefit is she can be assigned to any team as support when deemed necessary. Obviously, she asked if she can choose which team she partners up with. The answer was swift and prompt by Glynda.

No.

The first few days of class was as she expected. Boring. She managed to stay conscious long enough to take the appropriate notes and not fall behind when the next lecture began. However, if her schedule is anything to go by and is correct, students will be asked to do a demonstration of Aura and its effect. For that to happen, a friendly sparring match will occur.

Thus, Cinder is slowly rising up from her bed as her alarm plays some pop tune of today. She even sings along to the lyrics while getting ready for the day ahead. This is the one occasion where she can dress as she wishes without adhering to the school's dress code. It's not her personal taste, plaid and all. Colors rooted in neutral tones fitted her style. Dark gray twill pants and boots, black, fingerless gloves and a sandy brown vest is worn over her torso. Bandages wrap across her chest to forgo a bra and the same style across her hips. She'll fight with her all and will do anything to reduce injuries from slowing her down.

"Wonder if this is too revealing" she asked herself, taking a closer look in the mirror. Deciding to be a bit more conservative, she donned a light colored t-shirt to cover her abdomen. It didn't fit her personality, she wouldn't be able to wear something like that in public and not feel self-conscious. And with this, the huntress walks out to meet with Team RWBY and Team JNPR, hoping for an optimistic day.

* * *

"That's enough" called Glynda, witnessing all she needs for the battle. Jaune fought against Cardin but from the onset, the winner was obvious. Each attempt at retaliation from Jaune was met with a laugh and another attack knocking his aura gauge lower until it entered the red. Jaune's inexperience truly showed and all his friends could do was wince at this. Though, they remained optimistic, and hoped he can adapt quickly to be in a better place than where he is today.

"Jaune, it's been a few weeks, please be alert when things become dire and a change in tactics is needed. Offense isn't always the answer." Once she was done critiquing him, Cardin added his own thoughts.

"It wouldn't have changed the outcome anyway." Jaune was slow to get up, obviously kicking himself for his failure, and the fact everyone was looking, including the team he's leading.

"Now both of you take your seats. We got time for one more demonstration. Cinder, Pyrrha, are you willing to partake in this?" Both weren't shocked they were picked, but to fight one another, that wasn't expected at all. The two shared a glance at one another, but decided it would all be fine.

As the two walked down, Cinder decided to crack a joke. "Don't kill me in there."

"I'll have to ask the same from you." Truthfully, they don't know much about one another, so they were going in blind to this exhibition. Both fighters stood across from the platform. Pyrrha raised her shield and javelin while Cinder held both her blades pointing to the ground. The two waited for their signs.

"Begin."

Pyrrha charged towards Cinder, who was standing still and playing defense. The armor clad girl swung her shield, to which Cinder blocked with one sword, placing her own force back.

'She's strong' Cinder deduced immediately, needing to use more strength than she's used to. Pyrrha pushed forward and Cinder gracefully backflips into a standing position, with her opponent hot in pursuit. The two exchanged attacks only to either be parried or blocked, constantly checking to see if there was a crack in their defense, but for now, not a single one was ready to yield. It was then Cinder grew aggressive mid strike and swung with both blades at the same time, knocking Pyrrha's javelin out of her hands and relying solely on her shield. With this, she spun again, using her body for momentum to capitalize on a possible opening. The strike was swift and Pyrrha should have been open from the brute force but her attack ended up barely missing, and she was kicked away to provide distance between them. Cinder ended up on one knee and her mind immediately thinking about that missed opening.

'That should have landed.' She tried to think what it was, but it's as if her sword was possessed. She recalled some movement on Pyrrha's part regarding her hands.

'That would have hurt, she's ridiculously fast.' Pyrrha recovered her javelin and took a deep breath. 'She's got power too...'

'Can she manipulate metal?' These thoughts raced as she picks herself back up off the ground and checking her gauge. A little portion was gone, but still, a hit is a hit. 'Let's see.' So, she went back to her previous game-plan, becoming aggressive for the sake of information. With the same set up, Cinder used one blade and was easily blocked. Pyrrha responded by sweeping her opponent's legs successfully and having the girl airborne. With fast reflexes, the resourceful fighter brought her free sword to strike into the ground for balance as she retaliates with a heel kick to her foe's hips, away from the shield. Again, the lack of a telegraphed motion and fluidity should make it work and Cinder watched closely at her opponent's body and how the shield somehow lowered down in time to block. It was subtle, but it was there.

'That settles it' Cinder thought, clutching her weapons as she retreated to safety. 'I won't be able to win like this.' It was now Pyrrha to dial it up, attacking first now and with her javelin. A swipe to Cinder's left ribcage was parried, yet, Cinder lost control of her weapons, allowing them to drop to the ground and leap back for a breather. She tapped her boots, making sure they were ready for some old fashioned melee combat as she raised her fists. 'I think I can land a hit on her.'

The two stared at one another, giving a little breather to the fast action until Cinder dashed in, flexing her speed. Despite losing her weapons, the battle grew in intensity and Cinder appeared to put extensive pressure on the redhead, who isn't used to having her back to the ropes. Dodges, ducking and proper blocking increased as each attack from the aggressor escalated with no end in sight. The momentum changed when the rookie sent an attack that looked like an opening, baiting Pyrrha to stop her turtling tactics and add a fast strike with her javelin. Yet, this setup was all Cinder needed, grasping the javelin with her bare hand. This, combined with a strong right strike of her palm to her foe's chest was something not even her semblance can account for, in that little window opening.

'Where did she learn how to fight like this?' While not seeing this as an impending loss, this raven haired girl was adapting and finding new ways to fight and limiting her opponent a chance to find a weak spot. The swords can't be tampered with anymore, and metal isn't anywhere near her limbs for manipulating movement. Pyrrha gripped her javelin tight, not willing to give up yet.

"That concludes this demonstration."

"What?"

"It's over?" Glynda needed no more from the girls and both of them looked a bit perplexed, curious to find out how one another fights and see if there's an upcoming limit to their skills.

"The intensity was rising and as a judge and officiator, I decided the match should reach its conclusion. Remember, this is a demonstration, if you want to duke it out, wait for the vytal festival that's approaching in the coming months and let it all out there." At Glynda's level, she can understand how fighters work and manipulate their aura and semblance to succeed. The quality of the match would only drop and get personal if it continued. "As that battle showed, with fortitude and the right tactics, it's possible to find an opening anywhere, however brief."

Cinder was seeking ways to exploit a weakness, in front of everyone, whether she knew it consciously or not. Pyrrha couldn't hide behind the use of her semblance if Cinder was as potent in hand to hand as she did with her swords. The facade of her invincibility was strong at the start but it waned as the match continued, perhaps the first to do so against the prized fighter. It didn't seem it was going to end in a good manner for either combatant. She avoided a nasty scenario from occurring altogether. They were even, for now and their aura gauges matched this. "That finishes our lesson here. Have a good day."

* * *

"Man, that was a cool match to watch. It was like two professionals." Jaune sat at the cafeteria, surrounded by his team and Ruby's. Oh, and Cinder, since she made herself a part of the group early from the exam and lecture classes.

"Yeah, I could sense things were going to heat up a bit more, but Glynda called it." Yang sounded so disappointed, as if the match of the century was put on hold indefinitely. "What about you Blake?"

"Beats the first match out the water. No question"

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping you'd all forget that." Jaune scratched his hair sheepishly.

"Don't take it hard Jaune, just...take it as a learning point."

"Uh huh." He didn't accept Pyrrha's attempt to feel better, especially with how she faired. He was beaten up by his loss and simply shook his head. Ren ate to himself, Nora daydreamed and Pyrrha was taking in the environment, and notice Cinder was a bit quiet.

"Um, are you okay Cinder?"

"Yeah, I'm still thinking about that fight."

"Oh, you are?"

"Yeah, I don't know, I really wanted to win, no matter what, so I apologize if during the match I fought a bit harder than I should."

"No, it's fine, I totally understand. I haven't lost before, so I can get that sense of wanting to win and no let yourself down, in front of our classmates no less. I started off slow but after the start, I couldn't relax either."

"Yeah, you were great, I had to rethink so much on what I had to do just to land only a hit."

"And I was ready to find new ways to see how to counter your style. I'm surprised you're adept in both hand to hand and sword combat, not to mention your archery skills. You must have spent so much time training."

"Sparring was a good past time during my stay at Alsius academy. Now, let's see during the Vytal festival when we have no restrictions how far our battle will go." The two exchanged smiles and nodded.

"I'll be waiting for you there, and your team when you are finally assigned one." The two warmed up despite their battle, smoothing any little distaste from it and moving on equal terms.

"Ow!" The sound brought the group to the source's attention. A bunny faunus, getting picked on by Cardin and his group.

"I can't believe these things are real." The leader pulled and pulled at the faunus' ears.

"I know, what a freak."

"Stop, it hurts." Despite this, Cardin did nothing to heed her request.

"Such brutes" Weiss commented, shaking her head.

"Ditto" Blake followed.

"All he is is just a bully." Pyrrha shook her head

"A bully with no morals apparently." Ren wasn't one for comments but it got to him.

"Allow me to teach him some manners" Nora grinned, already thinking of ways to rectify the situation. But, Ren shot that idea down, making her sit down before she executes that plan.

"Hasn't he been picking on you Jaune?" Pyrrha felt concerned about this.

"Me? No way."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he thought they were harmless pranks, but I'm sure they were done to hurt you." Ruby added her thoughts on the matter.

"I'm fine. I promise." The blonde boy turned his head to Cinder, who hasn't been talking. "Cinder, you can back me up on this right?" Yet, no response, as she simply gripped the utensil in her hand with fury. "Um, Cinder?"

* * *

"What a freak!"

Tears falling down her face, dirt covering her clothes and a bunch of boys without a face towering over her. Jeers, nicknames, and physical harassment has been commonplace. This poor girl didn't know anything of the world, except one thing. It's cruel.

It will swallow anything up if one is naive enough to let it happen. This sensation of embarrassment, isolation and...hopelessness filled every atom of her soul. She hated it. Weakness was something to be ridiculed for. Every day she would get tormented cause of that one word. Not just by the boys, but even the adults. Weakness. This little girl despised it, and never wanted to feel weak again. Power, she only wanted power. Power to make these boys, adults, hell the world itself cower at her appearance.

That's why-

* * *

"Let go of me!" Cardin shouted, and that's when Cinder came to, realizing her hand was now clutching his wrist and her free hand guarding Velvet from him. Putting two and two together, she did as he said, taken back by it all. When he got his arm back, pissed off couldn't even begin to describe him. 'When did I move here?' Things weren't adding up and now she's face to face to this bully.

"What, you think you cause you put on a show earlier you can stand up to me?" The lithe raven haired girl was trying to piece things together and downplay the situation the best she could. She looks behind at the startled faunus and then remembered something from a few days ago. She smirked.

"...you owe me."

"What?"

"In the forest, where you almost died, I showed you gratitude. I'm calling in my favor." He didn't have to agree to it, she knew that, but it did remind him of when he was weak and unable to do anything except receive help from her.

"Tch, you're still on about that?" Despite his comeback, his face showed he was trying to hide it away and not have it brought back up.

"What's wrong, can't accept you need help from a girl?" She was trying to hide her own amusement, viewing him in a different light and nothing like the one standing a few minutes ago. "Now leave her alone. Try picking on someone a bit more your size. Or better yet, me." He gritted his teeth, obviously knowing she's not one to mess with, directly that is.

"Whatever." He blew her off, and acted like nothing happened. Cinder took a deep breath and smiled. She turned her head around, and the majority of her group watched with caution, wondering if a staff member was needed. She shook her head and walked with the faunus.

"Um, thank you."

"No problem, I...I couldn't physically stand it at all, I needed to intervene." Or so she thinks, she blacked out at that moment and this little lapse makes her ponder what's going on.

"My name's Velvet, yours?"

"Cinder. If those boys ever bother you again, let me know. I have their numbers." The two looked at the table seating the two teams of Cinder, all of them looking slightly worried.

"I think that's my cue to go Cinder. Thank you again for stopping them." Velvet and Cinder parted and the amnesiac girl returned to her seat.

"Is everything fine?" Ruby was the first to check on her.

"Yeah, I...couldn't stop myself. I don't know why but deep down, I was revolted by the bullying. I acted before I thought of the consequences. Um, what did happen?"

"You just bolted out of your seat and stormed over there and stopped Cardin from continuing what he was doing to Velvet." Jaune gave her a quick run down to fill in the blanks.

"Oh." Cinder blinks and yawned to ease the worrying tension in the air. "Maybe I needed to let out some frustrations from the fight earlier..."

"Well, if you weren't already, you're definitely on Cardin's black list now." Yang made a serious remark for once.

"I think it was worth it in the end Yang."

"Not a lot of people would stand up for someone like that, let alone a faunus." Blake was personally surprised at the show of kindness.

"May it be the last" Pyrrha added, hoping this would stop it. Meanwhile, Cinder had some plans for the night. She needed to replenish her dust stock. It's empty now, and if she's going to be heading out later, she needs to be prepared. Two hours before curfew should be acceptable.

* * *

The street lights were on, the skies black and the streets almost empty as folks are preparing for the daily nine to five grind awaiting them when they awake . And the shop was ready to close to repeat the process once this woman leaves unless a new customer enters. The shopkeeper had no problem of explaining the price of the dust she's seeking and how it is far out of her budget.

"What? That's unacceptable!" An upset girl not pleased with the potential purchase value.

"I can't lower the price, this is refined dust to a T miss, I can't go any lower than that. I also have to have this specific dust shipped here. " The dust shop in vale, an attempt to stock up for any future mission. She thought she might be able to purchase the dust she used during her entrance exam. Turns out it isn't the typical dust found at stores.

"Ugh, never mind, I'll settle for the regular dust then. Maybe next time."

"No problem, I'll be here." Great, no more explosions until she either gets rich or steals it herself, which probably won't happen. She's not a thief, she's a good girl. The sound of a customer entering the building rang through the store and Cinder was unaware of it, lost in her own world. So much so, she bumped into the stranger walking in, enough to have them both be outside and out in the streets. At first, he was agitated, ensuring his suit was clean and ready to tell her off. However, then he saw something worth a second look, complete with the disregard she provided him.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." She bowed in respect, not wanting to offend him.

"Um, excuse me, miss?" She was a bit puzzled and looked up to the man with green eyes.

"Yes?"

"I'm curious, do you know who I am?"

"N-no. Is this a threat? Or are you...hitting on me?" Her comment made him laugh.

"Pfft, as if, It would never work out between us. I just have to ask, what's your name?"

"...Cinder Fall? Mind telling me yours?"

"Cinder eh? Guess my suspicion was right. You wouldn't have addressed me like you are now." He was silent for a bit and he shook his head.

"Wait, you know me? I never met you in my life."

"I know a whole lot about you. Not like it matters now. I consider this a blessing. Name's Roman Torchwick" He points his cane over to her face, the cap at the end popping open and a reticule coming into place. "It's the last thing you'll ever learn."

A loud explosion, and pedestrians in the nearby area scattered to avoid being caught in the crossfire. At the nick of time, Cinder escaped the blast and she was grimacing in the streets. She had no weapons on her, and was forced to play a cat and mouse game. This person knew her, and it wasn't on positive terms. "Ah, the child didn't forget how to dodge! Let's play a game of tag. Guess I'm it!" He seemed amused and was more than willing to taunt his previous boss. The satisfaction of ending her life ran through him, and he wanted to see if he can succeed. So, Cinder only knew one thing she could do in this situation.

 _Run_.

* * *

Author's Notes.

This was fun to make. Again, reviews, critique, beta readers will be greatly appreciated. I'm certain there are some things I might have missed. Ah well. Later.


	6. Exposed

Running was all she can do, all she can muster. It's an unusual feeling, something she thought would never happen again. No weapons, no dust to manipulate, only her legs, and an angry, vicious man chasing her down the vacant streets of Vale. She'd scream, but no one would save her. If that was the case, someone would have intervened by now and there's only so much of Vale she can traverse until there's no space left.

Her body ached and nagged at her as a reminder of what felt like. A few cuts and bruises were visible on her from being stalked and avoiding close calls all over, yet no matter what, he had her in his crosshairs at all times. Dust covered her face, her clothes slightly tattered and her legs are losing steam. She stealthily passed a corner, sighing with a deep breath against the brick wall and her eyes shut. She has to keep going, she needs to not stop at all, for any reason. However, it wasn't that simple.

The turn led her to a dead end, an open lot where she can't continue to increase the distance. Her heart raced and her eyes darted for any way to craft an exit but nothing popped up in her mind. It all came to a halt as the fedora wearing man began to whistle a tune to himself, waving his cane around like a toy. He stood roughly ten feet away as he smirked, finding this such a perfect scenario to fall under his lap.

"Who would thought following this one order would lead me to you Cinder. Now, I can finally be at peace not ever having to hear your voice again."

"Please, why you are doing this. If you can at least explain to me what's going on so I can understand?" This only made him upset.

"Just hearing you talk like that gets on my nerves. You were so manipulative back then and now you're a completely different person. You must think you're so innocent. A goodie two shoe following orders and can do no wrong. Imagining someone like you in that scenario makes me sick. You're no better than me, you have no idea what a monster you are." He points his cane over to her, the reticule popping up with her in his sights. "I'm just doing the world a favor before you come to your senses. No hard feelings boss." The clueless woman only watched with eyes wide and her hands shaking, unsure what she can pull off to escape and soon accepts it is futile to find an escape route. Her journey just might end right here.

"So long..." A click of the trigger is pushed-

* * *

"Cinder!" Her attention snaps to the present, looking to the side to see a concerned Yang. The events were a crisp Hollywood film overtaking her vision. She's in the forest, collecting tree sap with the rest of the students for today's assignment. A few days passed after the encounter and she's doing everything to dismiss it from her mind. She kept to herself and only now did she have company.

"Huh?"

"I asked you a question and you were just there zoning out, anything you want to talk about?"

"Oh, sorry, a lot of things are on my mind lately so I can't focus on the present unfortunately." A playful smirk forms on the blonde's face, hoping to catch Cinder off her game.

"Is it about a guy" she teased, to which the freshman waved off like it was nothing. Yang knew what was on her mind but tried to be light-hearted.

"You're not going to catch me flustered over a question like that, nice try."

"Hmph, I figured as much, you seem to keep your head cool most of the time.

"And you as well, with such a bubbly exterior. Now if only Blake was the same."

"As if, there's no way that girl would open up like me."

"You sure? Blake is an introvert but seemed like a romantic at heart.I think if someone serenaded her, she might become a bit more outgoing, don't you think?"

"Pfft, like she would fall for a guy here on campus."

"Who said it have to be a guy? Maybe she is into blonde girls and you don't even know it?"

"..." Obviously Cinder's words brought forth an image of her teammate and her, which brought a quick reflex of embarrassment. "That would totally not happen."

"And denial is just one way to cope with emotions" sang Cinder, loving the reaction she caught from Yang and turning the tides.

"So, with a comment like that, would you be into girls then?"

"I don't see a problem."

"What?!" This shocked Yang as she didn't expect how straightforward the response would be.

"Love is love isn't it?" Yang analyzed the woman in front of her and took a while to respond with that in mind.

"Well, you're not wrong, I'll give you that. A simple way to look at love if you ask me. You talk so casually, do you have experience?"

"You seem so interested in my dating life, I wonder if you are into me instead of your partner." Blondie actually smirked at that comment, finding the quick wit of that tongue unseen in the circle of friends found at Beacon.

"Getting back on track, onto my original question, you feeling okay? You don't feel worried or need someone checking in?"

"No, I'm fine. Like, yeah, it was surprising, to be targeted out of the blue but I learned to not go by myself, and be a bit more cautious of Vale. Doesn't seem like the safe place I imagined."

"Ruby got into a similar problem, seemed like the same guy. You sure you didn't piss him off before?"

"I think I would have remembered him if that was the case. He didn't know me at all. Guess he snapped." Was the first lie she told to her, and hoped it would be the last.

"Huh, I don't know then, chalk it up as a psychopath on the loose. Maybe he thought you were Ruby or something."

"Yeah, maybe if she had a growth spurt."

"Either way, if he comes around again, we'll be here and ready to kick his ass. We have your back Cinder."

"Thank you Yang, it's reassuring that I can trust someone to support me in times of need."

"No problem." She patted her friend's back and looked around. "Let's go meet up with the others, I think they're done."

"Okay, give me a moment." She turned to the side to ensure the lids were sealed properly before standing upright and smiling. The two walked away from the site, seeking out their companions. But, in spite of the help and talk from Yang, this insecurity started to nag at her, and considering the events that took place, something wasn't adding up.

* * *

"Tch, why would you do that?!"

Cinder's eyes were shut, believing she'd feel nothing in the coming seconds after a sharp pain. Yet, the rude comment suggest she is alive and someone intervened. What greeted her when she opened her eyes was a girl, with an umbrella popped open which must have reflected the bullets. Her hair was split into two colors, pink and brown parting at the helm and looking symmetrical. She didn't speak, only closing her umbrella and shaking her head.

"What do you mean no?" She patted her own chest, as if to say Cinder is one of them. "Not anymore, don't you see how she is acting like a stranger to us?" Again, rather than use her mouth, she used her umbrella to point behind him, police beginning to investigate the scene and responding to the violence. "That is just an inconvenience." The girl pouted before using her umbrella akin to a wand and using her free hand to mimic glasses. "Figures she'd investigate into the matter." He sighed and shook his head. "Screw it, come on Neo, let's get out of here, we can leave Cinder here for the cops." He then gave an ominous stare down to his target. "May our next meeting be the last." He gave a graceful bow as a taunt to his previous employer. Neo turned her head over to the confused and tired woman, with a look of pity before walking to her partner in crime. She too then bows, as if she was in front of an audience before they disappeared into nothing. With the threat of danger evaporating, the raven haired woman sank to her knees, and hanged her head, scrambling to understand what just happened

"What did I do? Is there a doppelgänger?" This line of thought was the only way to ease her troubles, because she couldn't imagine a scenario where she is the villain and worked with them. Loud, fast footsteps marched down towards her location and a glance up showed soldiers and a furious Glynda overseeing her. The oppressive glance made her look down, a sense of guilt filling her. So much for a huntress. She couldn't perform any hand-to-hand combat with him having the range on her. It's strange, she couldn't pinpoint it, but that look felt too familiar, and it hurts more than it should.

After cleaning up, the student was held for interrogation, with the combined efforts of Glynda and Ozpin, who appeared stern and stringent about the matter.

"How about this for a turn of events" started Ozpin, recapping tonight through a scroll and camera footage captured by cameras that weren't destroyed. It's nearing curfew and you happen to be the only one not settled in your room? Why not?"

"I wanted to buy dust after that battle with Pyrrha. I know during the tournament arc, I'm going to let loose and pull no punches. Besides, I liked the dust used during the exams." She completely disregarded that a student wouldn't be able to purchase said dust unless related to the Schnee company.

"So you left school, without your weapons or your scroll for a stroll on the town for some dust..."

"I know, it sounds bad, but you honestly can't believe I had in my mind that I would get chased like that."

"There are corrupt individuals lurking in the shadows, having no issues taking out an unprepared huntsman or huntresses in training. My question to you is how can you leave school without taking your scroll?! You could have had your weapons transported to the scene and fought back!" Glynda was the one who was vocal in this matter, with Ozpin merely asking different questions in this good cop, bad cop moment.

"Did you know them? The ones who attacked you?"

"No, they knew me for some reason." This perked the two adults up and they paid extra attention now.

"Did they now?"

"Yeah. I don't know, I can't imagine myself attacking others like that. And I am sure I do not have a twin running around causing mischief. I want to say it is all a misunderstanding, but that guy, Roman Torchwick, he had a death wish against me." Her eyes looked to the side, wincing at the memory of her running for life. The headmaster folded his arms and nodded.

"Very well. I must request you do not leave the campus unless you have your scroll with you, complete with support from your friends here at Beacon or a faculty member. I also don't have to remind you not to inform anyone that these individuals knew you on a personal level."

"Huh?" She didn't get the memo. "Why not? Maybe they can find a lead or under-"

"Telling others of a criminal that knows you on a personal level isn't a way to keep a positive image of yourself, and others is it" Glynda asked, interjecting into the conversation. Cinder looked stunned and then bit her lip. She could be alienated if word got out she used to be a criminal or knew them. Surely Ruby could accept her despite some less than civil people knowing her...right? Doubt crept in and feeling isolated gripped her heart and tugged her into a decision. Alienation would mean death for her and she wasn't going to let it happen.

"Got it, I'll keep it to myself." She was holding herself back, dejected and shaken up.

"We care for our students and wish to avoid incidents like tonight from happening. To think people like this exist right here and targeting up and coming huntsman and huntresses in our very own backyard is increasing the growth rate of my grey hair."

"And I can't keep running into town to repair something getting destroyed. I understand special circumstances but it feels as if this could have been avoided altogether. We might be tough on you, but we have high expectations for you Cinder. We want to see you succeed."

Cinder forced a smile, feeling slightly better that they think highly of her, but her personal image isn't the same. She's internally upset at the lack of offense and how pitiful she was tonight. The young half-maiden knew nothing of the problems that could have happened. Nor does she knows the true intention of the headmaster's words. Had she died, finding the next fall maiden would be that of a needle in a haystack, or worse, passed down to their nemesis. It was all a deliberate ploy to not have her die and be under closer surveillance from now on. The adults just had to hang onto their mask for a while longer. Glynda and Ozpin glanced at one another before nodding.

"You are free to go Ms Fall. I hope this incident doesn't happen again."

"I can't promise you that." It sounded like backtalk but she furthered the sentence. "I will do my best to not put myself in a situation like tonight. However, I do not feel content that someone like that knows me and can get away. I want to bring this Roman Torchwick into the police myself. I don't want to let him have the last laugh." Her hand balled into fists, to which Ozpin observed closely. Pride, what a thing to witness.

"I would prefer you stay out of it."

"And I'd prefer to not be made a fool like tonight."

"If you are willing to be blinded by your pride and ego, then you are not fit to be a huntress." That snapped her train of thoughts and made her ease back. She rested her fingers at her temple to ease herself. "I want this man captured myself but blindly trying to find him will only lead to disastrous results. Think before you act." She wants revenge but she knows the consequence is big if she screws up again. The student at Beacon rose from her seat and took a deep breath.

"I understand Ozpin, I won't seek him out. I want to succeed as a huntress here in Beacon so I will follow your word. Will that suffice for tonight?" He simply nodded after gauging how her emotions are playing out, and she seemed stable, for now. Cinder walked out the room with a slow pace, with a whole lot more questions than answers tonight.

"Well, seems like an old partner had his sights on her. Same one that attacked Ruby Rose in the past few weeks."

"I think this person owned a personal vendetta against Cinder. I don't believe our enemy would have her be killed unless they had a girl in mind to transfer the maiden power."

"Yes, even so, they would only receive half of the power."

"Half is enough to rival a veteran huntsman, let alone someone with potent skill using it and they would not hire amateurs in their faction."

"I've never seen the powers in motion, but that only means we can not provide Cinder freedom that she currently owns, or stating threats that would terminate her stay here at Beacon, even if that was a empty lie."

"..." He stood up from the table and removed his glasses to think. "I forget sometimes that I'm talking to an innocent human being, not the tactful woman who took down Amber. It's almost bittersweet that she is ignorant to the damage she could have brought to Remnant." Glynda shook her head, knowing there's a pending question that has to be addressed.

"We're gonna have to tell her about the Maiden powers at some point. She's on our side and if she can master it, we'll be in far better shape."

"The question is when, not if. She hasn't matured yet to take such news. and hasn't even come close to using the powers associated with it. The sooner she does, the better it is on my ever taxing mind that we can progress forward. Now, let's leave and pick this up in the morning. I was in the middle of my beauty sleep."

"I think your beauty sleep has past its expiration date Ozpin." She giggled at his comment and even more at her remark, to which he smiled subtly. "I also need to do the same. This night gave me a scare, just hope it's the last. Something tells me it isn't." The headmaster walked with his cane out the door, with Glynda right by his side as the shattered moon shined through the windows of the hall.

* * *

"You did what?!" A furious yell coming from a green haired girl, being restrained by her partner.

"Oh come now, I thought she was dead, and I wanted to make sure that remained the case." The orange haired man acted nonchalantly as he described what occurred.

"I can't believe you'd do that without consulting any of us!"

"Us? Far as I'm concerned, it is just you, and little playboy over here. That's not us."

"She was our-"

"Emerald" interjected Mercury, not truly caring about her, but knowing that this isn't the time to make a drastic scene. That, and he'll probably be involved in this no matter his inclination.

"I never liked her anyway, she is out of our hair and I can be at peace. Besides, she left you two to us." The red haired man turned his attention to Emerald and Mercury. "And we surely don't want anything bad to happen to you while under our care." His sarcasm was as smug as his attitude, knowing they have no one to follow except Roman and Adam. She never left them to the white fang, but with nowhere to go, they were the basis of grunt work, far below the social economy ladder of any faunus in this faction.

"But she is alive and can definitely-"

"Not be of any use to us. If she has no memory of us, she would rat us out in a heartbeat." Adam wanted to snuff this notion out right away. "What matters is that she is an obstacle and you are under our rule."

"Yeah, it's like one big family after a divorce, one person calling quits and the other trying to keep the family intact. And I can do whatever the hell I please with the children left behind." Neo simply sat at a corner, watching this conversation unfold. She had no personal side, other than following Roman's orders. She liked Cinder, and is at least sympathetic to her minions. Difference is, she's under Roman's good side, so no harm can come under her. Though, it might have gone down a bit for protecting their previous leader from roman. This unique situation lasted for a while longer until Adam grew bored and had better motives in mind.

"Exit the tent and leave us be. Wait until we get some more missions for you to do." Emerald was clearly disgruntled but Mercury simply shrugged.

"Let's go, no point in arguing about it." He was the first to leave the tent, to which she followed suit after balling her fists.

"Ugh, this sucks, we can't do anything here, we're slaves." Emerald was going to have her opinion be heard, no matter who's listening in this camp.

"For now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you already forgotten who Cinder worked for? I don't think she would ignore us after the failed mission." His partner in crime slowed down and understood what he fully meant.

"You're right, think she knows the news by now?"

"What do you think" he said before pointing out to the woods, a seer watching from the distance. "That's not even up for discussion. Far as I know, she's thinking of ways to have us get Cinder back in her clutches as we speak."

"Is that so?" She looked off to the side, processing her thoughts. Happiness filled her with the news of her leader, but it deflated when Roman notified everyone of her amnesiac state.

"Anyways, Salem will probably force Adam and Roman to adhere to a plan. If not, she'll kill them, a win win for us." He did take a moment to sigh and glance over to Emerald. "My advice to you until then is to remove your emotions, or else things will only get tougher from here on out."

"Wow, I never thought you would be the one to give advice." It was done in her own sarcastic matter, but he head a point.

"I don't. But it'd be a pain in the ass if you get yourself killed."

"Aw, you care about me."

"I'd have no one to belittle anymore. On the off chance I snap at them, they'd just kill me. You?" He chuckled at the absurdity of her killing him.

"That sounds like the Mercury I know. A jerk."

"And the only lifeline you have, take it or leave it." He took a moment to watch her reaction, to which she sighed like a brat.

"Fine, only for a little longer." She nodded to him to show her approval.

"Now, let's see if we can uncover more about Cinder, on our own terms. Old man said she had a uniform on and she was at Vale, so..." He wanted to see if critical thinking was ever done in that skull of hers.

"She's a student at Beacon academy?"

"Ah, so you can think for yourself. This whole time I thought I needed to spell everything out."

"Whatever, so she's a student at Beacon and is trying to be a huntress, possibly."

"That's only part of the equation. The headmaster would know exactly who she is or had a hand in her enrollment. Infiltrating would be a bit harder to pull off unless we have the right cards to play."

"We'd have to find a way into Beacon then."

"An opportunity will arise, we can't force an opening to show up."

"Great, we get to play pawns for a few more moves."

"Precisely." A sigh of frustration left her lips to which he rolled his eyes. "Now we just need to find a way to sneak inside. Once we do, we can assess how to follow up. Until then, don't die. I'm going to go get myself something to eat. Stay pretty while I'm gone." His last words were dripping in amusement, leaving the green-haired girl to her own devices for now, after a well timed eye roll on her end.

' _I'm glad though, that you're alive'_ she thought, as if she's talking to Cinder directly. ' _I'll see you soon, hopefully.'_

* * *

In this dark castle, a ghostly white woman was able to listen and overhear the conversation. If anything, that's the only reason she is bothering at this point, preferring Cinder died to go search the new fall maiden, but it appears a new change of plans is needed and a search is no longer needed.

"To think this is how you play the game Ozpin." A woman mused to herself at this discovery. "You steal my henchman and make her one of your own. But even you know she's a ticking time bomb. What do you have up your sleeve" she wondered, walking side to side to figure out that conclusion. "Perhaps her lackeys can serve some actual use. That boy is already ahead of the curve. Let's do as he says, except, why not expedite the process?" Within her chambers, she twirls her fingers, molding a menacing, avian Grimm under her personal control and whim. "Yes, you'll fit the bill, let's give a performance for our dear friends Roman and Adam, remind them who's really in charge." The huge avian creature roared loud enough to resonate the entire floor of the castle.

"Perfect."

* * *

Author's Notes.

And here it is, chapter six. This was created within five days, when I sat down and wanted it completed. I'm going to give this one a little break to tend to the others as I feel they need some updates of their own. Until next time, peace.


	7. Reveal

"Why are you so stubborn? You're acting like you are my father!"

The woman yelled to a man in front of her, who seemed to be digging himself a groove in the lounge couch and had no intention of moving. Cinder could never understand this phenomenon or quite figure out who is speaking. Only that she's a bit shorter and quite upset at this man. The same man who's sitting down gripping a canteen filled with hard liquor. The scent made her scrunch her nose in detest, and possibly the same for this woman too, as she covered her nose and mouth. 'Ugh, and he's not drunk off of this yet? You can take down a nevermore with this stuff!' After the man took a swig, he decided to comply.

"I thought Oz drilled everything he needed to tell you into that head of yours?" A disgruntled noise escapes him as he somehow manages to form another sentence in his inebriated state. "You're suppose to keep a low profile, not be out in the town at night." His body moved eerily, showing the drink has affected his motor functions but not his speech abilities.

"I was hungry and you weren't around. There's nothing in the fridge to eat so I left, can you blame me for that?"

"Yes, as I could have went and gotten something for you myself."

"Considering your past tendencies, I don't think waiting until three in the morning when you're stumbling is a good time to ask for food Qrow." All he could do was chuckle at her little dig at his habits. He seemed nonchalant about it as he takes another swig.

"You could have called."

"Your phone is always on silent!"

"I don't like getting bothered when I'm drinking. But I always check to see so I know it's important." She shook her hands in frustration and stormed the other way. She tried to talk some sense but he wasn't listening and couldn't be bothered.

"This is terrible. Ever since I've been gifted the maiden's power, I can't even move freely. I truly believe that you are acting paranoid for no reason. There isn't anything to make you become so fearful." That's when the hung ho attitude stopped and the man became serious for once, his eyes darkening at the ignorance this girl owned as he stood up, towering over her.

"This is not a game Amber. I've seen the dangers lurking outside these walls. And what worries me are the people that work for _her_ , lurking _inside_ these walls. I can't let my eyes off you, you're still getting used to being a maiden." His words struck a chord in her, in which her eyes were covered in frustration. She was originally elated but then understood her quality of life wouldn't return. Gone was the innocence of being a teenager and learning to fail. Now she must be on top at a moment's notice and never stumble. She hanged her head and clutched her fists in anger. Even Cinder could sense the range of emotions preparing to erupt, until it eventually did.

"I didn't ask to be one!"

* * *

And like every sequence following a dream that has ended, Cinder holds her head in pain as she returns to reality. It's almost as if she spent the last waking hour before her slumber consuming alcohol far stronger than what that man drank. The pain didn't subside until after a few minutes, and all she wished is to lay in all day, to make sense of her mind and her conscious. The dreams were so vivid, it's as if memories rewinding for introspection. Maiden reoccurred in conversations but she didn't understand the context. They're dreams, right? A figment of the imagination that can be caused by any external factors. Or at least, that's what the internet tells her. She wants to believe it, but her heart says otherwise. Her scattered mind recalled she was free to do anything today, and she's not a sloth.

First things first, she had to get up out of bed. The benefit of a headache removed is feeling that all is normal. Only took a few minutes. She rose from her mattress, tidied up her room and picked out what she would be wearing for today, shortly before entering the bathroom to shower. This is her chance to be free and away from everyone, her own sanctuary.

'Beacon academy has only been strange since I got here. Nothing feels right, like I'm being watched' she mused, letting the hot water reign down on her. 'And this woman, yelling at that man, is he a guardian? A drunk one, but, he kept saying Maiden, like the other times. The internet just talks about magical beings, but magic doesn't exist." She sighed as she turned the heat up more as the room filled with steam. "Or does it? Would Ozpin know? Glynda?' She discarded the thought when she remembered her punishment a few days ago. 'No, this would only make them think I'm crazy. They're monitoring my every move, but what did I do to cause it?' After applying conditioner and shampoo, she massages her raven hair, feeling her temples relax. 'Lastly, who is Amber? That's a common name and I don't even know what she looks like. But, if I did, will things start making sense around here?' She let out a groan, her fingers wrapped in her hair. 'What are you talking about Cinder, it's all a dream, no matter how many times it repeats, just a dream.' Rationalizing it all away, she steps out, covering herself in a towel and drying her hair.

After her morning routine, she exited her dorm room fitted in her own personal attire. It's a blessing that Beacon gave the students a chance to use their own clothes and not stay in plaid hell. Classes were suspended as the semester is nearing the end and now students have the option to study in their respective dorms. Or, like most teenagers, they were going to be free roaming out in the city. The young woman wanted to be the latter, regardless what the staff says. If she can sneak out, even better. Yang would approve, Blake wouldn't care, Ruby would be indifferent and Weiss might complain. That was how she planned things to go in accordance to who would be preferable. When she walked on over to team RWBY's room, she found it empty, which left a frown on her face. Standing in the center of the room, she tried to think of a backup. "Damn, they left already, hm, how is JNPR doing?" With the new objective in mind. she turns, only to nearly bump into someone. She looked up to find a woman with blonde locks staring down at her.

"Where are you going?" Glynda, second in command for Team Ozpin questioned her intentions.

"I was planning on heading out to go shopping. I need some new clothes and supplies as the new semester will be coming soon." She came up with that on the spot, but as a fashionable, young teenager, she wanted to stay trendy, surely Glynda would understand. The older woman took a deep breath at the explanation.

"Didn't we already discussed your terms of being unable to leave?" Guess she can't relate to the youth.

"I remember what we spoke about yesterday, very clearly."

"Do you have your scroll?"

"Yes." She removed it from her pockets to show she's not lying.

"And do you have a partner to go with you?"

"N-no.." The combat instructor was swift and loud in her response.

"Then you know going by yourself is not permitted! You are a target, regardless if the sun is out, Roman will attack without hesitation."

"I know, that's why I was looking for-" she began, seeing the door behind Glynda open. Jaune Arc, the rookie who can only move up after hitting rock bottom. He just recovered from a sparring match last night that drained him enough to sleep nine hours and had plans to get breakfast. To his surprise, Cinder and Glynda stood outside his team's room, looking at him as if he came into view at the wrong time. "Jaune!"

"Jaune?" Glynda repeated that word, watching the scene unfold.

"Me?" Hearing the peppy voice of Cinder and screaming for the leader of JNPR, brought said team to look out the door and see what's the ruckus.

"I have a favor to ask you." She said this while running over to him, leaving Glynda behind. Blondie was not ready to could only restate her request with a quizzical expression.

"A favor?"

"Yeah." She didn't beat around the bush. "I want you to come with me down town, or would that ruin your plans for today?"

"Uh..." He was just put on the spot. Granted, he had no plans today but to be asked to follow a girl to town for shopping? He was a little floored. He hasn't heard that question since his sisters did the same thing prior to leaving for Beacon. He was silent until his stomach growled, notifying her of his hunger.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I didn't eat anything yet, that's why I was going to head over to the cafeteria."

"Okay, we can get breakfast, my treat, please?" She was trying to sell the idea hard and he didn't know why he needed to come along. though, it seemed it was important. He didn't see anything wrong with it, so the blonde boy shrugged and nodded.

"Uh...sure, but-" Before he could finish that sentence, Cinder grabbed him by the arm and yanked him away from the hallway and out of Glynda's perspective. He yelped and tried to regain his limb but realized that Cinder has quite the strong grip.

"Get back before dawn" yelled the elder woman, before exhaling in disappointment. "I would have preferred a more capable fighter, but this'll do" she muttered, believing that at the least, she'd have backup. Somewhat,She walked the other way, leaving Ren, Nora and Pyrrha at a lost for words.

"What just happened?" Ren couldn't quite figure it out as he replayed the strange scenario in front of his team.

"Yeah, a favor to head down town? That's a bit out of the blue isn't it?" The amazon like fighter weighed in her thoughts, to which Nora chuckled darkly.

"Don't you guys see it? It's all so obvious!" She pointed towards the other female of the team with a smirk. "She covertly asked him on a date and he doesn't even know it!"

"What?" Pyrrha had every right to be shocked and confused, albiet, just a pitch or two higher than average.

"Nora, what are you on about?" Ren looked at her with skepticism. She's not one to make accurate assumptions of things, so he had a feeling this will be another moment of a fantasy running wild.

"A girl doesn't just go out of her way to ask a guy to head out into town for some random favor! It's obvious there's more to it than that. Though, our leader is clueless in that regards, am I right Pyrrha?" There was silence, which only strengthened her hypothesis. "So, our poor leader is now at the whim of Cinder who can very well do as she pleases." Ren wanted to test her theory.

"Nora, don't you think you are blowing this out of proportion?"

"Nope. The way to a man's heart is his stomach, she's already going to have a head start." He had to admit, she had a way of twisting the normal things in life and seeing them in completely new perspectives.

"Pyrrha, you don't honestly believe this do you?"

"N-no, of course not. Maybe she's afraid of going into Vale because of Torchwick and wanted someone to join her. It's nothing." Her voice grew more confident as she assured herself.

"You know it's not nice to lie to yourself Pyrrha" sang the energetic girl, which was answered with a thrown pillow from Ren. He wasn't upset, but he knew making Pyrrha paranoid does no one good. "Ow."

"Stop it, let's all just return to what we were doing." And so, they did, seeking ways to past the time.

* * *

"Did anyone ever tell you you're strong? I thought my arm was going to get ripped off." Jaune winced as he shook his arm, having regained freedom once they were in Vale.

"Sorry about that, I should have given you a heads up but Ozpin and Glynda have been overprotective of me since Roman attacked me. They don't want me leaving without supervision. So I had you come with me."

"Oh, so I was your first pick?" He thought he was special in that regards, getting picked first over the others.

"Actually, no, anyone would have been fine, you were the first person I saw. Ruby came first to mind since we have a lot in common."

"Oh..." His ego deflated quickly but he shook his head. No matter, at least he can get to know Cinder more. "So, shopping? Was that the truth? Or was that also an excuse to be outside?"

"More or less an excuse. I do want to have some shopping, but I also have something else in mind, and I feel only you can fit the bill for that part."

"And what's that?" She looked off to the side, thinking about how to follow through on that sentence.

"Later, not right now, want to get these clothes out the way and then explain the real purpose." Jaune didn't understand what was going on, but knew that she needed him, and he's willing to do his part.

"Okay, I'll follow along for now. So, does this mean I'm your fashion advisor?" She glanced back at him, before giggling.

"Nope. I can choose for myself. You on the other hand..." She let her eyes sized him up with scrutiny. "Scraggly, but well built, baggy clothes for a laid back personality. I think with the proper wardrobe, you can at least have Weiss hold a discussion after you attempt to woo her." At first, he felt a little offended about her description of him, but he looked at himself, and knew she wasn't doing it out of spite.

"Then what do you suggest if you're such a so called expert?" He decided to let loose some sass as he rarely gets to speak so freely. Almost a manner to remove himself from leader position and just be a teenager for once.

"Do you have sisters?"

"Six of them in fact."

"Then you know asking that question is a moot point because it comes down to preference. We'll just have to work with your swagger." She once again took a look. "Might have to work on creating one to begin with."

"I'm still here you know..." She immediately retracted the comment with a hushed and embarrassed expression.

"Oh, sorry, I'm a bit blunt in giving my analysis. But cheer up, we'll have you presentable in no time. And maybe Weiss will say yes?" He smiled, believing that she may provide the little edge for him.

"Alright, I'll leave it in your hands."

"Good. Now, let's have some breakfast, I'm actually starving. I did promise you a meal did I not?" She guided him down to main street, where the duo agreed to have something focused in the brunch department.

* * *

After a delightful brunch, Jaune had his hands full of items he bought at the well crafted expertise of Cinder. It was a little grueling and experienced firsthand what a model would be under constant commands. Change wardrobe, stand up straight, wear a hat a certain manner, turning around and baring himself in certain poses. He started to wonder if this was for his benefit, or a manner to amuse Cinder. The only positive he came away with is that he actually liked what they picked out together. Some flannels, jeans and a bit of athletic wear during sparring matches. At the request of his advisor, the two stopped near the docks, taking this time to observe the view and enjoy each other's company. The raven haired woman overlooked the sea with a pensive look. Blondie took a moment to look but she was deep in thought so he didn't say a word, leaving himself to his own mind.

"Jaune" she uttered, grabbing his attention out the blue. "Thanks again for coming with me. you saved the day, literally."

"Yeah, no worries. We're friends right?"

"Friends? Of course." It was a bit weird to say, as to her knowledge, he was the first person she spoke with when she landed, and vice versa. "I couldn't fathom the thought of coming here with anyone else and do what we did. Ruby doesn't seem like the dress up girl companion. I think Yang is a bit worried of what I would suggest for her." She tallied off the two more approachable members of Team RWBY. It brought out a good laugh, until he reminds himself about cinder's question plaguing her.

"Oh yeah, you said you wanted to tell me something. Is now the time?" She took a moment to stare off at the sea again before standing up fully and turning her back to him.

"Jaune, you've been practicing with Pyrrha to get stronger right?"

"Huh?" It was out the blue, but he didn't deny it. "Yeah, why you ask?"

"Mind showing me?"

"Uh, I don't have my weapon on me." This was when the first year turned around and smiled.

"It's quite alright, I want to test your reflex and the way you battle. We also have a wide pier to work with. Simply try to hit me with your arms, no legs please."

"What if I land a hit?"

"I'm a big girl, I can take a punch."

"What's this for?"

"I'll tell you once we're done, now, time's a wasting." Cinder's personality wasn't added up at all, and was one of the more eccentric woman he met. Though, that isn't saying much. Anyway, he led with his left foot and left hand, his center of gravity lower to the ground than she remembers from his attempts against Cardin. She stood still, waiting for when her friend would begin. After a few seconds, her charged, yelling a bit as he cocked back his right arm for a strike. She placed a foot behind her to prepare a parry. She could tell it was a right straight, only a matter of when the attack will come. As he launched his attack, he didn't use his entire body weight. She gently sidestepped and pulled him away like a matador does to a bull who sees red. He followed up by using the same approach, except his attack was a bit harder to telegraph.

His right shoulder contracted back but just as it did, his left hand reached out, which made her leap out of the way, but the boy wouldn't stop. She could see he's learning and felt far more comfortable in his skin compared to what she remembers. Without using too much energy, he sent jab after jab, in which she parried with her arms, her eyes never leaving her main target. Consistently changing his stance, she couldn't sweep and get him off balance by letting him make the error. Thus, wanting to end it, he waited until he threw another strike and she ducked and pushed her palm up at the arm to deflect it. The force was just enough to give the opening she wanted and placed a foot behind him so he would have fallen through the momentum of her parry.

"W-whoa" he yelled, recalling her strength and feeling gravity pull him down to the wooden floor. Right before he did, she held him with his arm outstretched and and then pulled him up to his feet, patting off his shirt. He was a bit disappointed, thinking maybe he might have seen a change.

"I guess even after training, I still couldn't get a hit on you."

"Don't say it like that, you were wonderful."

"I couldn't land a strike though."

"Progress Jaune. I see a different fighter than the one a few weeks ago." She then decided to get to the crux of the talk. "Did Cardin ever bothered you since then?"

"No, he's left me alone, I think he learned his lesson." Listening to that sentence brought relief to her and a smile.

"Good. I can't stand it, bullying, messing with the weak."

"I wouldn't call it bullyin-"

"Jaune." She cut him off, which was a bit off putting, matched with a disgruntled expression. "Don't try to justify his behavior. He's in the wrong."

"Um, where's this coming from."

"I...didn't have a perfect upbringing. I know your situation a bit too well, so it brought back bad memories. I guess you can say that I didn't want you in the same space that I was in. You shouldn't close yourself off. From your team, Rwby, or me, we are here to help you, through thick and thin." Truthfully, he disliked being talked down as such, but her heart is in the right space, so he nodded along.

"I get it, you wanted to see if I had improved since then?"

"Well, I just thought of that as we were shopping, and I can say with assurance that you have improved. Before you opened yourself up to counter attacks, now the opponent has to make a move which means putting themselves at risk. That's a huge step up."

"So...what would you recommend me to do next?"

"Now that you have cleaned up your stance, you now have to attack by limiting your opponents options. You're smart, you have the brains to do so. Experience will do the rest of the work for you."

"Ah, so it makes it safer to fight and attack the opponent. Rather than simply knowing I have a better stance, it is more about making my attacks safe at every given moment."

"Exactly. I told you, you have a knack for this." She nodded at his intuition and then looked at the sea, once again in thought. "It must be nice to have a team." She sighed to herself, finding it almost acceptable to vent.

"Cinder?" It felt all out of place but at the same time genuine in delivery. She continued, not answering him directly.

"I don't have anyone to confide in, or a team to communicate with, so all I have is you, and Ruby. There's everyone else, sure, but my first landing in Beacon was with you two, so I'm going to be somewhat bias of anyone new. It feels a bit selfish, but I've been feeling isolated lately with a lack of a proper team."

"You shouldn't though. Me, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren would be glad to speak about whatever is on your mind. and you know Ruby's teamwould do the same. There's plenty of students to bond with at Beacon. Maybe even the professors"

"That last part is a lie." The tone she used was foreign to his ears. Revolted. It was out of place and he picked up on that.

"What do you mean?" Hearing him ask brought anxiety that began to course through her veins as she thought out what she was going to say.

"I feel something is up. The staff, they..." She could not finish the thought, wondering if he would believe her. This didn't help ease the tension, so he stood closer, trying to pick her brain.

"Cinder, tell me. I'm here for you to vent. What's been going on?" She looked at him, taking a deep breath as she tried to find a way to straighten out her thoughts.

"I-"

"Excuse me." A feminine voice can be heard behind them, making them turn their attention over to the person interrupting their tender moment. The blonde boy didn't miss a beat, looking over to the stranger who somehow snuck up on them

"Yeah?" This girl looked at the two with a neutral expression. He thought he sensed jealousy but his mind must be playing tricks on him.

"I'm a bit lost. I just arrived here and figured you two may be able to help me get acquainted with the city? I was supposed to meet up with a friend, but his damn phone is dead." What a buzzkill for a moment of growth. Cinder sighed, half content that she got a bit off her chest and Jaune would be willing to hear her side of the story down the road. Or when they're done helping this woman out. The raven haired girl decided to take the initiative.

"Name's Cinder Fall. He's Jaune Arc. What's your name?" The girl smiled, brushing her green hair to the side.

 _" **Emerald, Emerald Sustrai**."_


	8. Secrets

The sun was shining down and several guards were up in the early morning to prepare for their scouting missions and any last second requests from their leader, Adam Taurus. Moving by himself and with no one to oversee, was Mercury, who had one sole target in mind. His destination came to his vision as he jogged on over to not draw attention. Entering said tent, he found his partner fast asleep and looked as if she's in peace. As the caring man he was, he knew she didn't deserve such slumber. "Wake up you brat." The voice was off in the distant and if not for the heavy strike of a pillow to her face, she would have kept sleeping. Her eyes opened abruptly, clutching the pillow with retaliation in mind.

"What the hell?" She looked at the perpetrator, her dear friend Mercury. She rubbed her eyes as she adjusts to the light. "What do you want?"

"It's time to get out of here." That sentence rang loud enough to wake her up, and blink twice.

"Say again? I must be still sleeping, you want us to get out of here?" She thought it was a joke but he would prove it wasn't.

"You want to look for Cinder right? Well, it's morning, everyone else is sleeping or out busy doing something productive. This gives us enough time to sneak out and do our little search." This made her raise her eyebrows. The idea sounded great, but coming out the blue and with no pretense to this happening. Why? Considering they are on house arrest, she needs more than a request to get going.

"Didn't you just say it'd be impossible to find her out in Vale?"

"Yep, but considering our circumstances, I'll take impossible over unbearable." He sighed under his breath, showing he can't handle anymore of the tyrants here. "-And didn't you tell me you would do anything to find her?"

"Yeah." That isn't up for debate here. "-but still, even I know it isn't so simple." Mercury narrowed his eyes, realizing she's putting up more of a fight than he thought.

"This is going to be our best shot at finding her without getting put on duty or on some terrible mission. Roman left, Neo left and Adam isn't here. No one can stop us. So, go fix your bed hair, and make yourself presentable darling, don't show so much skin. There are other guys looking too." He chuckled, bringing attention to her top hanging a little low. She didn't notice until he pointed it out, in which it resulted in a thrown pillow from his partner.

"Tch, get out you pervert." Not wasting time, he did just that, leaving the green haired woman to herself. She rose from her bed, checking herself in the mirror. 'Something's not right. He never cared about Cinder like I did. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but he never wanted to do anything with me. He usually kept his distance.' She tried to look outside the tent to get a visual but couldn't, making her return to her mirror. 'Guess I'll have to make sure he keeps his promise. Still beats listening to that old man rant.' After getting dressed, she grabbed her machine guns resting on the wooden table and placed them on her back pockets. She emerged from her tent, to see him leaning against the forest trees a few feet away. He was gazing at the camp grounds, as if taking mental pictures of the place. His eyes turned to focus on his partner.

"Ah, you didn't make me wait so long."

"I would have, if it didn't involve Cinder."

"Just come out and say you love her already" he began, before receiving a swift strike of her palm on his shoulder. He took a step back to not be overpowered, but it was amusing nonetheless. "Did I struck a nerve?"

"Shut up and let's go, we are heading to Vale right?"

"Yep, and if my map is anything to go by, we should be there within thirty minutes or so."

"Great" she groaned, extending the word in defeat. "A half hour with you rambling about nonsense." She looked off to the side as she already began to walk and Mercury following closely behind.

"Hey, could be worse."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"We stay and get attacked by a fearsome Grimm that we can't beat." He chuckled, bringing her to question his sense of humor but just went along with it.

"You're such a weirdo." She focused on the trail and stopped giving him attention as she paced herself.

'If only you knew' he thought, leaving his hands in his pockets as they started their road trip.

* * *

Several minutes after the duo left, did guards who were beaten and battered emerged from the forest. The wounds weren't inflicted by a Grimm. Rather, the act was done by a human. Once they reported the incident o Adam, who had returned on his scouting mission, he was beyond furious. The suspects were easy to figure out. He never wanted the two here to begin with, but Roman suggested they would do anything they say. never trust brats, or trust a human to begin with. He pulled open the tent where Emerald stayed, to see her weapons are gone, and knew the silver haired teen left too.

"They're gone, great." Adam ran his gloved hand through his red hair in contemplation. "We got runners, but Roman and Neo is off doing business. When they are done, I'll get them to see how we can recover these pitiful lackeys. Speaking of pitiful lackeys." He turned his head behind to his guards, who were wincing in pain. "You are telling me that the playboy knock you all out without a single hint of his actions?"

"I'm telling you the truth, we didn't see him coming." He didn't like the answer, and believes he might need a better bar of entry for believers for the white fang. Something didn't add up though, and Adam is still hypothesizing it.

"Hm. They only have one place I know where they'd go. Beacon." He grabbed his phone in an effort to send a message to his partner. Before he could manage that, he felt the ground quake, making him focus his energy elsewhere. "Is that a grimm?" All he could hear was a loud demonic screech from the forest, which resulted in him pulling his katana from the sheath in retaliation. "Get into position" he yelled, knowing something...unusual is coming.

* * *

After thirty or so minutes, the two arrived at Beacon, filled with children, students and adults shopping and acting as if nothing is wrong despite a dust raid had occurred a few days ago. The green haired girl didn't waste time at all as she stuck to the plan. "Okay, so, we made it, but we have nowhere to go. What else did you had on your mind?"

"Nothing, this is all you for you to lead and take charge." She stopped walking after his statement, boiling underneath her tanned skin at his lack of direction. What?! A plan without thought?! They were going to get reprimanded if they were to head back.

"Are you kidding me?! We walked all that way just for me to be in charge?!" The two were drawing a scene and the cool headed man of the team calmed her down, no need to have anyone recognize them.

"Of course. I don't mind finding the leader, but I don't mind if we didn't either. It is just that you appear the most..eager and willing to lead this expedition. you know her more than I do...so, it's obvious you should take charge." He's playing on her emotions, and he's doing a good job at that. Knowing they can't head back to camp, they need to make good use of their time.

"I really hate you sometimes, but fine, we can't be too off the mark. We are already on the run, might as well make it last. If there's anything I know that can be of used, Beacon should be free which leaves all the students to be on the premises of Vale and shop around. So...it's still early, but most are either in Beacon Academy or out here shopping."

"And how did you know that?" He had his arms crossed as he never asked about her past or knowledge.

"I had friends too, you know, the useless kinds that did nothing but wasted your time. They did give me a general idea of how the school is structured so I'm familiar with the schedule unless there had been a heavy shift in the curriculum." Cynical as always, but never worse than himself. He moved on from it by asking another question.

"So where is our Cinderella? Is she off studying to herself? Or buying clothes?"

"Hmph, that's easy. It's the latter, she could never get enough, if this Cinder is still the same that is." Clothing was her vice if there ever was one.

"Oh, I haven't thought about it. She'd technically have amnesia, but would she possess the same qualities?"

"Even if she isn't, she's still Cinder and I'll do my best to jog her memory back." He smiled briefly as that is exactly what he wanted to hear. Now, the next thing he said had him anticipating her reaction..

"And Salem?" There was a slight moment of hesitation, but she didn't falter. She never met her, but could only overhear when Cinder had her discussions in the past.

"I'll worry about her later. She's not a threat because she's just as in the dark as us." This only brought a chuckle combined with him dismissing her attitude.

"Regardless, it's your funeral, I'm not going to go up against her."

"It's really me against the world then."

"No, I'm here, until it doesn't suit my interests anymore."

"Accurate for the son of a mercenary. Now, go ahead and be useful, we would benefit from splitting up."

"That's what I was hoping you'd say. Well, not really, I was going to go on my own either way. I can get myself some new boots, these things are killing my legs." She placed a hand on her hip, shaking her head at his choice of words.

"Like your boots is the actual reason your legs hurt."

"Bite me. Now, you have my number, let's rendezvous in two hours or sooner if you find her. Just tell me where."

"Yeah, whatever." The two then split for their own ways, which led Mercury to take his talents and energy for rest and relaxation.

"Forget this, I got other things in mind." This is the first vacation he can remotely take after working for Cinder, and considering the sorry mess she's put him and Emerald through, he believes he deserves one. Granted, he didn't like Emerald, but she's a lifeline of his and he can't sever it.

Forty five minutes were spent, taking a seat at this cafe, the sum beaming down on him, it was relaxing. A sheer vacation with his legs kicked back and a cool latte filling his taste buds. "Alright, number one on my objective, tip the police off." He smirked, figuring it'd be an easy thing to accomplish. Grab a telephone booth and snitch openlyHe already paid for his drink with his money, stolen money of course. It's good to be in league with a woman who can shape perception at a moment's notice. Taking money was never easier than simply doing that. Like banks, but without the troublesome process of speaking with humans and with no need to pay them back. He stood up, passing a few tables on his way out only to overhear their conversation about the white fang and seeking to stop them. This made him casually look up in the sky to not be suspicious, but this news brought forth only a smile as a devious plan came to mind. The more he listens, the more he knows that they appear the foolish, headstrong type to do things their on way. He turned around, as if he forgotten an item on his table.

He glanced to the side to see who's speaking. Two faunus, complete with weapons attached at the waist. Black hair, blonde hair, girl and boy. 'Well, well, well, found something even better than useless cops. Huntress and huntsman in the making? Maybe they'll lead us to our fearsome leader.' He walked up to the counter, asking politely for a pen. After a minute, he finished penning a warning of an theft of dust shipment at the port. Folding the napkin, he asked at the counter who's the waitress for that lovely table.

"Yes, that's me."

"Look, just give them this note, don't open it. It's private but they'll understand."

"Um...okay?" She didn't understand what a note could provide but she would be willing to adhere to his request. "Why can't you do this yourself if you don't mind me asking?"

"It's a surprise, that's all that matters. If they knew who provided this, it would ruin the enjoyment, don't you think?" It was perplexing but she couldn't be harmed for passing off a simple note right?

"Okay sir." She grasped the note out of his hand, in which it brought satisfaction from him.

"Thanks, now, enjoy your day. I gotta run." He proceeded to leave without letting the two scope out the scene and start questioning the origins of the note. "I consider that a successful scoping out for our leader." He then felt his phone ring, checking to see that Emerald is already quick to call.

"Hello?"

"Mercury."

"Yeah?"

"Any luck on your end?"

"Of course not, I did get a cup of coffee though, so it wasn't a complete waste of time."

"I can't trust you for anything can I?"

"No, you should know this by now. Look, I know you didn't call me because you like the sound of my beautiful voice, so what is it?" A small pause between them until the woman spoke again.

"I found Cinder." He started to smirk, leaning against the wall with some optimism.

"Ah, and you had the audacity to question my motives."

"That's not the reason why I am calling. I think there are people following her." His expression turns serious, not expecting her to be followed out in public. He only feared one person, the one that stopped them from succeeding.

"Oh? Do they look like staff members or perhaps like that guy we fought?"

"No, he's not here. Appears that it is just students." The woman took the moment to oversee the table where Cinder and Jaune sat, eating a content brunch while conversing about the past exams and life in general. Her eyes then moved to the far back table out in the corner. Purposely set and structured to remain unseen.

"Tell me again why we are here." A raven haired boy asked his team, with disapproving looks.

"Cause Glynda came back after she spoke with the two that we keep an eye on our vulnerable leader Ren. That only happened an hour ago, how did you forget so fast?" It's more of annoyance that he was roped into this mess. This is spying, something he doesn't condone, but he wasn't going to stay in the dorm all day and read books. He'll do that tomorrow.

"Sounds like she lacks faith in our leader's ability to be safe." By then Pyrrha nervously chuckled at this.

"Come on, it's not so bad" chimed Pyrrha, betraying the little sense of worry in her. It's nothing to make note of, but it is common when one is in love to fear someone else taking away the person they care about. "We get to have a little lunch and be sure that no one gets hurt."

"So, we're going to ignore how eager you were to accept Glynda's req-?"

"That's neither here or there Ren." She hushed him as quick as she could manage to kill the topic before it grew. Nora knew it, so she changed it for her.

"Yep, we're just spying on the two lovebirds so we don't have to clean up the blood later." Both Pyrrha and Ren looked mortified at the happy tone used to describe such a scene. "What?" She looked at the two of them incredulously for not agreeing to her. "There are rabid criminals out and about and has attacked one of our own. They might be one out right now in broad daylight, maybe there's one in this diner right now!" Her voice continued to escalate, in which it brought fear for the remaining group that their cover would be blown.

"You hear something?" The amnesiac woman perked up as she swore she heard a familiar voice, to which Jaune blinked and looked around.

"No, I didn't." Jaune thought he heard Nora, but staying in the same room for so long, he might have just have the Cinder shook her head free of worry.

"It's probably nothing." The two continued their brunch while both Ren and Pyrrha's hand clamped down on Nora's mouth, fearing their cover would be blown.

"You're going to get us caught."

"Mmph" she muttered, understanding a need to be quiet. Emerald observed with a hand on her head, not taking these students seriously.

"Looks more like idiots than students."

"Then it would be easy to fool them no?"

"Did you forget who you're talking to?" She smirked, for the answer should be obvious by now. "I can buy us some time, but they are going to start looking for them, so, think fast. I'll give you a call later with exact location."

"Alright. Oh, one last thing."

"What is it?"

"Buy me some pancakes." He heard the phone line disconnect, making him chuckle. "Everything's falling into place." Yet, in every action one does that has weight in them, doubt starts to pick up as fear starts to creep in. Did I do the right thing?" His mind races back to what he was told earlier, what jump started this whole search today.

* * *

"A man who wishes for power and to be the best. That's what you strive for right?" A devilish voice, one even worse than Cinder's played over this...unique Grimm. In between the training and avoiding a certain bastard when drunk, he succeeded in one of his goals. The next? To be the best at what he does, and it appears this _figure_ could make him do just that.

"Of course." Confident and firm in his tone, he would not have it any other way. Or rarther, he wouldn't present his answer any other way.

"Then, you know I can make that happen for you. You've already exceeded your father's skills, now, why not be better than all who went down this path you wish to undertake? I can make you become the best there ever was and ever will be." Salem was a strong mind reader as he couldn't turn down the offer. Cinder promised the same thing, but she's not here. Supposedly, she's amnesiac and lacking her nefarious and cunning personality. His goal never changed, only the path needed tor each it. she's It was a matter of finding someone new to follow and keeping Emerald off of his trails.

"I'm listening." Though, he knows his words and actions must align with this entity, or else his death will be not a second sooner.

"You only have one job to complete for me." An assassin never lets anything cloud their judgement when undergoing on a mission, but considering who is requesting this job, he needs to know what lies ahead if things don't go accordingly to plan.

"And what if I fail?" There was a moment of silence, as if such a question was foolish. After thinking it over, a chilling response to come forth.

"Your father's death would be nothing compared to what I have in store for you."

* * *

His phone buzzed heavily to snap him from his recent memory. He takes a look to see who's calling. Surprise, surprise, it's Emerald again. He quickly answers it so the ringtone can shut up.

"What?"

"I left the diner, and gave the trio following Cinder and this guy with her the slip. The group had a certain weirdo. Didn't take much to fool just her in thinking our target was still eating and her partners were talking in the meanwhile." Only a certain detail stood out that Mercury wanted to point out and he knew how she'd respond.

"Oh, she has a suitor already" he mused to which the girl on the other line retorted fast.

"Shut up, that's not what's important. She's there and is in my sights. I'm tailing the two in this clothing store, and I don't see those students tracking her."

"Bravo, I always knew you were a meddler at heart. Now, what do you suggest on being able to get some intel?"

"Not sure, can't just walk forward and say, hi cinder, I'm Emerald, you know, the girl you used to do crime with, does that ring any bells?"

"Why not?" She can tell he's joking to which she sucked her teeth.

"Look, we need to just find a way to get her attention and then see if she remembers us or have any clues of her past life. The best thing we can do is act as strangers, or "friendly" huntsman and huntresses."

"Yeah, but we would need a team, be registered like actual students and somehow fly under the radar. We know for certain she's enrolled in Beacon and we can spin something later where we can make it, but we need to talk about the present"

"And how do you propose we do that?" He took a moment to think but a quick solution was made.

"Must I think of everything?" He closed his eyes to recoup his mind before containing. "Why not just ask for help?"

"Help on what?"

"Finding a very close friend who's phone has died, and said something about staying at a nearby location. How could a clueless tourist know anything about where to go? Why not ask the locals to guide you and ask for them to join you?"

"You can never skip an opportunity to throw a jab my way can you?"

"Of course not, that's our shtick." Regardless, the plan had some form of coherence and plausible deniability. Emerald nodded her head, getting an understanding on how this can work.

"Alright, this might be a good plan, for now. There's an upcoming Vytal festival as well. There were posters around town about all the major countries were going to partake in this tournament. This is perfect. I'll tell you where I am, and we can take it from there." Once all the details were made, Emerald kept herself in secrecy. Her opportunity would arise soon enough to meet her former leader.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _Hello everybody. Happy New Years!_

 _I already have chapter nine finished, I'm just editing it, but yeah, here is chapter 8, showing what Mercury and Emerald has been doing at the same time as Chapter 7. Chapter nine will be from chapter seven onwards. I'm exploring the dynamic between Emerald and Cinder as my other fanfic, Power, was the basis for this story so this is how things are going to push moving forward. Everyone else in RWBY will be getting adequate time, but as of right now, I think I have a clear vision on how I want to take this going forward. Thus, I'm going to try to post a new chapter more often. Well, see you all soon, very soon._


	9. Awakening

A fearsome yell is drawn from the man's throat as he lunges forward against this Grimm who is the most resilient foe he's faced. His arms tremble and his tendons ache as he pushed his body to its limit. Another strike with his katana across the chest leads to a hit powerful enough to sever its limbs, only for the limbs to regenerate shortly after. To make matters worse, it appears as if it has become sentient and simply seeing what this fearsome leader of the white fang can do. It's alive, learning, adapting to what he throws at it. That didn't sit right with him, it only made fear creep even deeper into his mind as the unusual Grimm stands still to see what the man attacks with next.

"I never fought something like this, but doesn't mean I can't beat it." He stops with the weak attacks and goes straight into his semblance, his aura and body emitting a red glow. _'This is my only attack left, if this doesn't-_ ' he starts, imagining a scenario it stays alive and he failed. ' _No, this will work. It has to._ ' Quieting his doubts, he charges againwith conviction. His sword becomes encased with his aura and the creature made no effort to dodge. In one strong swipe, he vertically parted the beast in two from ehad to to. He managed to incapacitate the grimm at the expense of taxing his body to the limit. He recovers with deep breaths, shaking his head at what he encountered and what might be lying out there in this world. He took note of the daamges. No one was dead, but they weren't in good shape either. Bodies were scattered while others received the word to regroup to another site while he stayed behind. Now, he can speak to the remaining members with confidence on their goal.

"We are moving. I don't want a repeat of this thing following us or anything like it, I barely managed to kill it."

"A-Adam" said a female member, pointing to where he struck down the Grimm. He quickly turned, to see it didn't evaporate like the rest, but simply grow back to its original state as if nothing happened. His strongest attacked was utterly useless. He gritted his teeth, not knowing what he can do, but try again and again until he couldn't anymore. That's his only option, one that he knew would end in failure.

* * *

Emerald, Cinder and Jaune walked away from the pier and stepped foot into the city as a friendly trio. Small talk was made in the meanwhile, finding that it wouldn't hurt to get to know one another. All budding huntsman and huntresses that wants to get better and graduate to make the world a better place. Or, what a master liar would say to gain trust to these naive students. The skies grew darker as clouds filled the skies, suggesting it would be night time soon. And luckily, for Cinder anyways, they aren't getting blown up by strangers who have a vendetta against her. In the middle of the small talk dis she realized something crucial hasn't been asked for her knowledge or Jaune's.

"So Emerald. your friend, what does he look like?"

"Oh, he has silver hair, spiky, usually wearing black and grey clothes, it is pretty hard to miss him." Cinder got a description but she was seeking something else, with her hand rolling to suggest she needed more.

"And his name" asked the blonde that walked alongside them. Truthfully, Emerald wished she coulde ignore him, but this isn't the time to pick sides.

"The name's Mercury." She put on her best smile that made her heart ache in disgust at the fake emotions.

"Sounds appropriate." Cinder chimed in chuckling just a little at the naming choice.

"Yeah, but sounds like he's forgetful. Who doesn't charge their phone before they leave?" As Jaune said this, he pulled his phone out, realizing it's going to die. "Uh, forget I said that."

"I guess we all make mistakes." Considering they were quite some ways off from the destination, Emerald wanted to ask about the elephant in the room, in her opinion.

"So...what is the deal with you two?"

"Huh?" Both of them looked at the new girl in confusion who seemed very intrigued at their response.

"Like, you two are together, was sparring, seemed like you went shopping too..." She pointed her fingers down to their bags as she continues. "Are you two an item or..." She didn't finish that sentence as she rather take in how they respond. Cinder and Jaune both looked with reservations and shook the thought away. The amnesiac woman spoke first.

"No, no, no that's not what it looks like." A certain someone would kill her if that was the case.

"Yeah, I was...swept away into doing her bidding. We weren't on a date or anything." He scratched the back of his head, not explaining how he got entangled in this mess in the first place.

"He already has his eyes set on another girl, so...I'm giving him a little edge to achieve his goals. I think I did a decent job in making that happen." Emerald glanced over at Jaune after such comments before returning her eyes to Cinder.

"Oh, then you two are just close friends then?" Her heart eased up in knowing that nothing's going on.

"More or less, he was the first person I met at Beacon, along with another girl, so, the two inevitably became the ones I grew close with. They also are the ones I associate in building trust."

"Oh." She doesn't recall anything other than stepping onto the grounds of Beacon Academy? So, it's a deliberate ploy to be a student? Trying to read between the lines of her story led to a pensive expression that grabbed Cinder's attention.

"Something wrong?"

"No, not at all, just seemed weird. Someone like you, tagging along with him, not that it's out of the ordinary but imagined it's either cause you were on a team or something."

"Cinder's not on my team." He didn't realize how that sentence can be taken as he said it matter of factly. Cinder frowned as she looked at her companion.

"I'm not on anyone's team." She made that point very clear to him.

"But" he said, hoping to change her attitude right away, considering what they had just talked about. "-that doesn't stop us from hanging out. Though, if she was on my team, I think it'd be overkill."

"If what I saw earlier on the pier was anything, then that's an accurate statement." She smiled, but inwardly shook her head. 'You don't even know the worst she can do.'

"Though, I find it strange." Cinder had an index finger on her chin, pondering about something.

"What is?" Jaune added his comment to see what was on his friend's mine, with the stranger keeping tabs on the chat.

"You aren't the first person to ask me a question like that. So much focus on dating." It really confused her. There's Emerald, you, Yang, Py-" she started before transitioning to another thing. Can't blow that cover. "-pyretty sure it gets tiring after a while no?" Cinder could tell a mile away the attraction that's hidden but revealing it can ruin the dynamic already there, so she will do her best to not interfere. This only made Jaune want to inquire.

"You never had a crush before?" Sounds like a question a child would make to a classmate, but the point still stands.

"That's quite a personal thing to ask don't you think?" Cinder was dodging the question while wondering what he wanted to know out of it..

"Well, did you?" Even Emerald grew curious to what her memories would craft. Thinking back, she tried to wonder if such a thing compelled her to get all lovey dovey, in which it caused her to stop in place, making the two wait for her. She thought long and hard before shaking her head in dismissal, feeling several gaps in her memories and she can't connect the dots.

"Hm, I feel like I did, but it's so fuzzy. I can't recall it." Every time this only worries her, these spots lacking clarity only brings more questions. "Either way, that's in the past. If anyone ask me about now, I'm just going to deflect the question like I did to Yang."

"And what did you tell Yang?"

That I was interested in women." This brought forth a hard cough from Jaune who wasn't expecting a blunt answer and sheer surprised from Emerald.

"R-really?" The other woman perked up at this as she's growing amused at this new Cinder.

"Eh, I did it to catch her off-guard more than anything else."

"Now that makes more sense. Yang can be a bit hard to handle with her personality, but I can imagine that stunning even her." Getting to see a new light of her leader, she's uncertain if this is what Cinder was like underneath her quest for power, or a completely different Cinder manipulated to act like a normal teenager. Regardless, Emerald asked a question she's been having for a while, not expecting anything in return.

"So, you are saying you would date a random stranger if the stars align. Like...me?" Cinder took a moment to look at the girl, before moving forward with a smile.

"Let's move on from that topic, besides, there's a guy here, let's not give him any dirty thoughts than the ones he already has."

"Hey, that's not what comes to mind when I think of two girls dating!"

"It isn't? You mean you didn't automatically wonder what it would be like with me and Emerald?" The raven haired woman walked over to wrap a hand around her new friend, trying to tease Jaune to her liking.

"Um, well..." He didn't expect her to call his bluff. He's trying to show chivalry but when Cinder lays a trap right there for him to walk in, he can't get out. And she knew that, in which she patted his back to set him at ease.

"I'm kidding, a girl has to have some fun right? I won't tell anyone. Right Emerald." She giggled, a genuine giggle that has been lacking for some time. Jaune joined in with his own little laugh, finding her a great help in his once frustrating stay here in Beacon Academy. While the two were immersed in a joke and enjoying one another's company, Emerald just looked at the woman she idolized, and knows now that it's someone completely different. Different personality, manners and tone. Yet, on the pier it was different. Cinder's fighting, resembled her past leader so much. It only brings up past memories.

* * *

She panted, feeling her lungs burn as she defeated the multiple amounts of Grimm that cornered her and Cinder. The fight wasn't difficult but to have a mob show up and attacked them left blindspots to her enemies, and one had gotten her on her arm right before she ended its life. She's regaining her breath, returning to Cinder with a smile.

"That was unexpected." Despite this, the raven haired woman only saw one thing that caught her attention.

"You're hurt." A serious sentence from Cinder was made, seeing an injury on her partner.

"Huh?" following the pointed finger, she looked down at her forearm, where a now deceased Grimm had swiped away at the flesh. "Yeah, I dropped my guard for just a few seconds, it's nothing." She would just ignore it and keep going, yet Cinder continued to look over and grasped her hand.

"What have I told you? Dropping your guard is unacceptable." It's the usual comments she gives, reprimanding Emerald for not meeting her standards. The follow statement had the injured girl speechless however. "Let me fix that for you." Any time she got hurt or fell, Cinder was right there to critique her every step and mistakes. The twp were near their own hideout, keeping their supplies and baggage in this little house out in the woods. The tenants there were eager to give them lodging, so much so, they left and never returned. They entered the home and immediately the raven haired girl grabbed a medical box off the shelf in the living room. She guided her minion to sit as she removed some rubbing alcohol and medical cloth to bandage her up.

"I can do it myself." Cinder shot a glare over to her and Emerald got the message wide and clear to zip it. It was a quick, yet painful process. The sting was unpleasant on the opened wounds when the liquid pooled over it but it eventually passed once the cloth wrapped around her arm to keep it from getting infected. Usually such medical attention was done on her own time, but for now, it appears Cinder is taking initiative. Not a word was uttered on her part, and her mind looked focused, almost meditative as she fixes Emerald up. The illusionist couldn't exactly gather why the sudden change, but her thoughts dispersed when her leader spoke.

"Is that better?"

"Um..." She moved her arm and flexed the muscles a bit to see if any reasonable pain flared up. While it did, she chose not to make note of it, wanting to stay useful to Cinder.

"It's fine" she began, until a resounding slap was made from her leader, leaving the minion in shock.

"You know how much I detest liars." While rubbing away the pain on her face and the redness showing, she answered truthfully.

"Okay, there's some pain leftover, but nothing I can't handle that would stop us." Only then did the tactful woman smiled and rose from her position.

"Normally, I'd tell you to go patch up yourself, but I'm feeling generous."

"Is that a good thing?" This brought a swift response.

"No, it means I'm coming out of my shell to a stranger. A reliable, obedient stranger." She stayed neutral in her delivery, to which Emerald wanted to pry. It's rare to see her like this, and even more so when she owes so much for this woman.

"It wouldn't hurt to get to know the person that changed my life."

"I have nothing of importance needing to be shared with you."

"Cold as ever." Cinder raised her hand, in which Emerald predicted another strike and with her eyes shut tight, but instead, she found soft hands curling at her chin. When she opened her eyes, she saw Cinder looking at her directly, checking for any incongruences.

"Until we achieve our goal, I have no reason to become emotionally invested to my team. I can admit however, that I adore your loyalty." Her hands gently rose to the reddened area of her cheek, grazing the area with her thumb. "Perhaps, I may reward you an insight of who I am. That is...if you continue to impress me. And you will continue to impress me right Emerald?" No words were needed, as the green haired assassin nodded to Cinder's amusement. "Good, now, let's get some rest. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

* * *

Lost in a moment she thinks of from time to time, the snap back to reality proved time consuming as Cinder called out to her new friend. "Emerald, you aren't answering.."

"Huh? Sorry, was dozing off, what were you asking?" Once she has this woman's entire attention, Cinder gave a bright smile.

"Let's go out on a date."

"Whoa, what?!" While she liked the idea, the rather forthcoming attitude is a very huge departure from the calm and reserved Cinder she's used to.

"That's not going to work if you randomly ask, and if you are the same gender."

"Look, it was just a mere demonstration. If you put your best foot forward and give it a show, who cares about the end results when you know you tried? You move on. That's what you should do, in my opinion." Jaune couldn't get the memo that he needs to ask Weiss out directly, no gimmicks and if she says no, be done with it. Only then, can Pyrrha be seen as an actual prospect. It's painful to see how oblivious boys can be to love.

"Maybe you are right, too much attention is spent on dating" Emerald said, attempting to hide the blush on her face. Once she did and saw her surroundings, she took initiative and walked faster. The trio arrived at the park where she instructed Mercury to be. She spotted him a mile away and ran to greet him. The jerk she can't get away from slowly walked up, and he made sure to size up the guy accompanying his previous boss. Didn't look like much, but hey, he thought the same with Cinder. That all changed once he fought her hand to hand. It made a world of difference. So, the young man had his hands behind his head and nodding to his true partner.

"Emerald, so nice to meet you" he says in the most mocking voice he can conjure. "Who are these guys?"

"People I met looking for you, you know I never been to Vale. These two are also huntress and huntsmen in the making." She turned to show the students from Beacon to him.

"Oh, either they are from Beacon or are students readying for the vytal festival." Then he smirked, looking over to the amnesiac girl. "I'd like to test how the students are trained here, if you don't mind me asking." He expected a no, but it was worth a shot. Emerald just played her role in this as well.

"Mercury, I don't know if that's a good idea."Mercury ignored her words completely.

"Cinder, was it? We only use our limbs, no weapons. That's my suggestion"

"Not even two minutes in and you want to spar with me huh?" Cinder eyed Mercury, contemplating the idea.

"Consider it a taste for the upcoming vytal festival." Jaune decided to say his piece as acted as the mediator.

"I appreciate your interest, but I don't think a fi-"

"I accept."

"What?" While his friend can go ahead and fight and should have the right to decide, Jaune felt that she should be taking a break and not give potential future fighters any intel. This also brought surprise from her past two minions at how quick she was to accept.

"I accept, color me interested."

"Is that all? Just interested?"

"Well no" she began, smiling right after she came to the conclusion. "Something inside me wants to see you get your ass kicked." To everyone there, Cinder acted a tad out of her element in her delivery. Mercury raised a brow while Emerald backed away with a smirk.

"Have fun." Understanding that she won't back out, Jaune moved away and followed Emerald. Thanks to the open space, this allowed the two fighters to move with freedom.

Cinder had herself in a boxer stance, and requested Mercury to strike first with a wave of her hand. 'Oh, definitely sassy like her' he thought, running forward without fear. He leaped int he air for a downward strike with the hell of his right leg, in which she moved away. She didn't want to attack until she understood his timing well. That didn't mean he would wait for her, as as soon as he landed, he pursued her and pressured with a frenzy of kicks. Moving her feet, she blocked or parried the onslaught with her own fast reflexes and limbs. Harsh attacks were exchanged but none landed, leaving them at a standstill and left wondering who would break and land the first attack. As usual, Mercury was surprised to see this new Cinder is the same as ever. He strikes up a comment mid battle to get a better feel for her.

"Well, aren't you fast?"

"It's harder than it looks" she chimed in, actively keeping her mind focused on the incoming strikes. She pushed one of his legs away, causing him to somersault back to safety. This time, he leaped into the air, keeping both of legs together in the hopes to dropkick his opponent. Out of all the times, this was one moment where she had a brief lapse of judgement, just like her dream. She remembers him, if only for a second doing the same move. This was enough to drop her guard and cause her to be pushed back a few yards from the force. The fear, the anxiety, the danger was there and most importantly, the will to survive rushed to the forefront. Her opponent was looking smug at the lack of defense.

"Not bad, but I have to admit, I was expecting more from a student from Beacon." He's not wrong, thinking that the real Cinder wouldn't have let herself get in a position to lose her guard. He truly felt he wasted his time bringing up a fight in her current condition. Emerald was glaring and Jaune looked in worry as they saw the woman rise back. After a deep breath, Cinder looked at him straight in the eye with rage.

"..." His expression changed from confidence, to fear and he could see her charging full speed. Only one trait stood out to him, and that was enough to scare him into a defensive position. He put up his guard, feeling he just made a crucial error. Right as she neared for a furious strike, the battle would cut short in his favor, as a loud explosion made them stop and look at the origin of the blast. Jaune was quick to comment

"I don't think there were fireworks plan for today."

"Mercury, what's going on?"

"Something bad obviously." He didn't need to explain more about it as he walked over to Emerald. "We should get out of here." Before he would leave however, he would glance at his sparring partner, who calmed down and didn't have that killing look. He only experienced that look on a successful mission. "Look, thanks for the warm up, but I advise you head to safety, and maybe we can fight next time without restrictions. I could tell you were going to show me something special." Emerald sided with her respective partner while Jaune did the same. Cinder smiled, no longer the woman she was a moment ago.

"I'd like that, I got to repay you for that attack."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. Let's go." Emerald turned around, waving goodbye.

"See you around." As the two left, the remaining students looked at the explosion once more.

"Cinder, what do you think is going on?"

"We're about to find out, that's what."

"Wait, we're going to the source?"

"Yeah, I know who's behind it." Only one person came to mind.

"Is it Roman?" She remained silent as she ran over to the location with Jaune just trying to keep up with her.

* * *

The fugitives ran through the forest as they left Vale without a trace. Rather than see what's going on, they headed back to the hideout. The tanned woman needed answers. Mercury had been acting strange and it is about time she got answers.

"What is going on?"

"Roman's getting into a fight right now, and is only going to attract attention."

"I don't understand, how do you know this? Why do you know this?"

"I set him up." This only brought more questions into her mind.

"As glad as I am you are ruining his efforts since I don't like him either, wouldn't that be a death sentence for us?"

"I don't think so, that would mean Adam and his crew are up and running." alarms started ringing in her brain at this as she started to feel a bit paranoid.

"What? Mercury, what were you really doing this whole time?" The silver haired fighter remained quiet, as they soon reached their camp, and allowed her to see the true works of a man on a mission. Blood, fire and more importantly, a defeated white fang leader laying on the ground, with the winged Grimm resting nearby. No matter what Adam attempted, this being just couldn't die. It would catch a second wind and keep going. Not even his strongest attack could kill it, for it would assimilate back to one singular being every time. Adam was awake, but didn't have the strength to move.

Mercury casually walked up to the two, in which the Grimm moved slightly, but never looking to strike. The whole scene was surreal and fear once again filled the young woman. The avian Grimm transformed into a seeker, an obvious trait from its creator.

"Ah, good to see you are alive." The seeker spoke, but it's obvious the Grimm is simply acting as a conduit for the messenger. It turned to look at the white fang leader, who had enough energy to ask questions.

"So, what did you...what...are you?"

"That doesn't matter. What does matter, is you realizing what I can do if things don't go my way."

"Ngh."

"I made it an effort that my creation didn't outright kill you. But, if you disobey what I ask of you next, then I'll just let your suffering come to an end." The leader clutched his sides, looking at this abomination, but not able to conjure a single word. This is beyond his capacity of imagination. "I'll take your silence as you wishing to know what I want. There was another member in your group, but I believe he's on his way here after his failure in garnering more dust. It's simple. You work for me now, and so will he. This boy has already accepted his fate." Mercury made no change in his expression. He rather follow orders than die prematurely. The seeker turned to look at the silent, worried Emerald

"And you?" her heart raced, her figners trembled as while she was aware of Cinder having a person to report to, she didn't think this is what was in store.

"Y-yeah."

"Will you do everything that I ask? Or will you be the first to say no?" There's nothing she could say right away as she's taking it all in. Shooting a glance over at Mercury, she could see his face grimacing, suggesting his hands are tied. He disliked her, but knows they don't have much to wager a no here. That's why he accepted. Perhaps if Cinder been dead, she might have been the first to reject and would end it here.

Yet, seeing her today, the way she was acting, and knowing that Cinder is there, somewhere inside her...she doesn't want to die here either. She wants to see Cinder return back to her former glory. Finding a way to calm her nerves a bit, she responded with clarity.

"I'll do it, I'll do whatever you request." Taking in the acceptance of all three fighters, the seeker only gave a small nod.

"Then we have a deal. Now, if any of you were to oppose me, then do expect an unpleasant visit from me. Personally. I shouldn't have to repeat myself." The seeker and avian Grimm began to evaporate, but not before leaving a message. "Have a nice day." Mercury sucked his teeth in, aware that this woman is toying with them all, and they can't do a damn thing to stop it. Still, he knows better than to leave a man down. He walked over to pull Adam up form the ground, who's keeling over from his wounds.

"I should have killed you on sight."

"You should have, but I feel this was bound to happen regardless." He coughed as he managed to stumble to his feet

"So, what now?"

"We have to get Cinder back. When we do, this should all be over." That woman, that same woman caused too much gref for him as he seethed with frustration.

"That damn woman, even when she's not herself, she's still causing problems." Other faunus members came running with support for Adam, in which Mercury walked over to his lifeline, who's beginning to see that they way over their heads. It couldn't be just a simple retrieval mission or even be able to run away in peace. No, they have an all seeing monster watching their steps through the Grimm. She shot a tense glare at him, needing to know everything. He knew that, and so, he grabbed her by the hand to a nearby tent.

"I need to tell you something in private." Emerald reluctantly followed him so they can remain out of sight and mind from everyone. Once she took in a deep breath and understood what was to come, she started her interrogation.

"Mercury, when did you started working for her?"

"Salem? I say a few days after we failed taking down Amber, but today is when I put Salem's plan into motion."

"Wait, she approached you?"

"Yeah, she chose me because of my past and felt it was easier to use me than you." That felt...good to know but it doesn't matter, she's roped into this still.

"So, now what? What is the end goal?"

"To not die. I don't want my story to end here, so I said yes. At first, she was going to use me and you to hunt the next fall maiden but now, knowing Cinder is alive, she changed gears. Our goal is to get her back to Salem in one piece."

"Not like I can disagree with her, our future is looking pretty bleak. Is it because she assumes the maiden's powers are still in there?"

"Yep. Precisely why. Even if it isn't one hundred percent, she might try to get her back to her previous glory. This is why I had to let you know something. I don't care about Cinder, she just had the means to get me to my ultimate goal. You actually care, and now, I don't have a massive target on my back, so consider us partners again."

"Great, back to shady business."

"Indeed, now shut up and listen, you'll like this. I haven't told Salem yet and don't plan to because I don't know what she would do. When I was fighting Cinder a moment ago, when she was coming back up, she wasn't herself." This confused his partner and naturally she wanted to know more.

"How can she not be herself? Or whatever she is now?"

"Cinder fought like the one that kicked my ass when we first met. I can tell she held back an extensive amount though. Her getting pushed back suggested something had been on her mind, and the after effects made me want to ask for you and that idiot for help to calm her down."

"Why?" He took a deep breath and responded with hesitation.

"I think Amber's soul is inhabiting Cinder's body unconsciously, with her memories loosely connected. I say this because when Cinder recovered from that attack, one of her eyes were glowing just like when we tried to incapacitate Amber on that mission. At that point, the sparring was over, and I felt my life was in danger." This could mean so many things, but none would provide a definite answer for either of them, they could only hypothesize.

"So, if Amber's not really in charge, does this mean Cinder is the one who's in control and she's housing the fall maiden's powers and emotions with it?"

"That could be it, but anything goes at this point. If we are going to do anything moving forward, we have to be on her team. I do not want Cinder fighting me at full strength, combined with a maiden's power and neither do you."

"Can Salem mess with the computer system at Beacon to get us in?" This only made him chuckle at such a simple question.

"She's already two steps ahead on that. We need to get rest, because I'm certain Salem will be telling us what to do next very soon. Will you be alright?" Knowing her previous leader is alive and might be able to return to her past self, she nods with confidence.

"Yeah, I'll be alright, see you in the morning."

* * *

A man walks in an empty, spacious room as his cane taps lightly in concern. a monitor shows the patient still alive, but a brief flash showed up on his radar, suggesting new activity to an otherwise comatose woman. He couldn't figure out why, but he knew it was related to Cinder, and the fall maiden powers playing a part. He took a deep breath, feeling that this unique situation will cause his hair to grey out even faster than it already is. "Amber, I shouldn't have given you the power, nor to the spring maiden. I just want this nightmare to end, and due to my haste, you are stuck like this." This is the first time he has seen any movement happen to Amber, as if she's fighting to live. She was a goner, but, not anymore. "Is it possible, that you'll awake with everything intact? Or will you be just like Cinder?" At first, he believed Amber would never recover, but now, a new path has opened, and he's preparing for the next course of actions. He has to accept the consequences of his actions, no matter what it might be.

His scroll began to ring as he takes a moment to read any differences to the previous maiden's condition before answering. It was Glynda and she was not pleased. "Sir, I'm at the Vale police department. It involves Roman again." He sighed in frustration at the news.

"Is Cinder there?"

"She's here, but wasn't the reason for the attack on the docks. She arrived when it was all said and done."

"Oh, then what was it?"

"A white fang attack. I know you are busy, but I think you should come investigate this manner, and see if we can find out anything related to...well, you know." She needed to be discreet about the matter involving maidens.

"I'm on my way there. hopefully, this yields new results and less headaches. I doubt it will be that simple. I'll see you soon." His cane clicked on the metallic floor as he began his walk to the police department. He took one final glance at the woman who's recovering, wishing to see her wake up, and apologize personally for the ordeal he has caused her. He enters the elevator, and proceeds to make a trip to address the problem downtown.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _I thought I would update this sooner. I'm taking a break, but I think now the story is really going to start as volume one was the prelude to show Cinder's personality as she is now, and what lies ahead in front of her with Emerald, Mercury and possibly Amber herself playing a role in her recovery. Well, that is all, hope I didn't make too many errors this time around. Don't expect an update for a bit, as I will being thinking on where the next chapter will take us. Until next time._


	10. Reunion

**_Author's Note_**

I'm most likely going to experiment with shorter chapters so I have a better release schedule than fretting 4k words and up. It's been almost six months too since the last chapter. Again, if you like, or dislike anything feel free to leave a comment as I try to upload more frequently with more chapters and faster content..

Hopefully.

* * *

When the woman had opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness fill her vision. She moved her hands and watched as she could see her arms and legs but nothing else. The individual couldn't understand this phenomenon, but it was as if a personal light illuminated around her being. It didn't stretch out around her, like she must guide herself to this area like a certain mobile game when traveling in a dark cave. She stepped forward, but cautiously brought her bare foot back in anxiety. Her toe gently hovered over the surface as uncertainty grows. "What am I stepping on?" She could see no reflection of herself in this murky liquid, only an abyss where she can walk confidently on.

"Where am I?" Her voice echoed to the distance and became distorted, until it trailed off to silence. Her brain short circuited and a deep breath was made to center herself. "I'm not in Atlas anymore." The strange thing about this...was that she didn't even know what caused her to enter this dimension if she can even call it that. Walking endlessly to what felt like hours in hopes for answers proved fruitless. As she scrambled for clues in her head, she heard a wave behind her, like someone had splashed the substance below. Her heart thundered in her chest as the realization that there's someone or even something else in this place with her. Turning slowly, she saw the source of the noise. A little girl with black hair was crouched down and alone. Her left hand bent and resting over her knees while her right hand traced in a figure eight fashion.

"Hey" the confused woman began, walking over to the little girl to face her. "Do you know where we are?"

"..." Not a single answer. The little girl continued to play below without showing a hint of acknowledgement.

"Hello?" Again, not a response. A heavy sigh leaves the older woman as she understands nothing and will continue to know nothing. Feeling that there is no way out and is at the mercy of whatever being brought her here, she lied down and shut her eyes. The little girl who ignored the other human finally decided to interact for the first time. She rose up from her position and casually stood over the confused, resting woman. It's what came out of her mouth that was shocking.

"Amber?" In a instant, Amber snapped open her eyes in shock that this girl knew her name. Obviously, she gave a quizzical look and tensed her lips.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" The child showed remorse in her eyes but she didn't answer back right away. "Who are you?" The small girl hang her head, her breathing growing erratic as she was ready to cry.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

The heavy buzzing of her alarm clock woke Cinder from dreams that she can't recall. A lazy hand motions over to the clock, not even opening her eyes as she just wanted the machine to be quiet. Each attempt to turn off the clock resulted in a miss and the buzz to persist. Having had enough, the half-maiden huffed and smashed the hatred of her mornings in an instant, finally quelling the sound. Now, half-way up from the covers and her hair a mess, she looked like she needed a few more hours to be one hundred percent. Knowing she has plenty of time, the half-maiden collapsed back into her bed to snooze a bit more.

Unfortunately, the universe would have none of it as the door to her room opened as a certain yellow hair girl wanted to give her a heads up.

"Cinder? What are you doing still sleeping, wake up!" The once asleep woman made a low groan in her throat. She raised her hand at the door to shoo away Yang cause she wanted more shut eye.

"What?" She didn't even raise her head, and not noticing her friend entering the room with a smile on her face.

"You're going to be late."

"No, I'm not, what time is it? I still got fifteen minutes." This brought a chuckle from the brawler as she decided to set the record straight.

"Uh..no, you got five minutes before the first class of the new semester starts."

"But my alarm-" She glanced in its direction and saw it was completely destroyed. Yang took a look and raised her eyebrow.

"Do I want to know?" Realizing she had overslept, the raven haired yelled in frustration at knowing she'll be late. She leapt up and quickly pulled at her drawers to find something to wear today.

"Just give me two minutes" she began in a frenzy to be presentable and come to class on time. not looking over at Yang or realizing what her own state of attire was.

"Sure." Yang smirked mischievously at the outfit chosen by her friend. "Ah, how cute. You're matching today. Are you trying to impress someone" she asked with a grin. Cinder took a moment to see herself only dressed in her undergarments. It took only a few seconds to shove the busty blonde out her room with impressive force and give her the privacy she needed. "Did I struck a nerve?" Reflexively, Cinder clutched a nearby binder to use as a projectile. "I'll see ya in class today, hope you're not sore from yesterday!" The elusive woman ran prior to having Cinder got in motion to throw the binder, resulting in said binder-

* * *

to land on the sturdy cafeteria table in a heavy thud, with a sighing Ruby taking a deep breath after carrying it for a few blocks. "Phew." Through the buzzing and chatter of students in the dining hall, Ruby had met up with her team, team JNPR and Cinder, who seemed to be in her own world.

"Uh Ruby, what's that?"

"Oh, you know. Since we are going to start the semester tomorrow, I figured I can be the best leader I can be and give us a head start for what's to come.

"Isn't that my binder?" Weiss looked at her leader with a concern stare in which Ruby shook her head.

"I am not a crook." Cinder, who sat at the edge of the table in between the two teams had been dozing off a bit but did catch the tidbit on the semester starting soon. Back to the usual. She decided to join in on the discussion.

"Oh yeah, the school semester starts tomorrow."

"Weird right? Expected to have more time, but poof, it's gone." Yang made a note about how quick everything went as she casually chucked peas at team JNPR for kicks. It really is disappointing that they can't maximize their time together.

"Yeah, after that little break over in the docks, we couldn't exactly do what we wanted. You know, with all the explosions, the docks, weird guy with hat, Ozpin." Nora casually mouthed off the exact reasons on why their little vacation wasn't more grandeur.

"Don't remind me." She rolled her eyes at the mention of that man but continued. "But that's the price we pay for doing what we think is right." A small, dishonest smile formed on Cinder's lips, knowing full well there's more to it. Until she has concrete evidence, she'll simply have to accept whatever her headmaster says as law. "Shouldn't be like that though, don't you think?" The half-maiden wanted to know if her feelings were mutual with the rest of the teams.

"It shouldn't, but we're only huntresses in the making." Blake gently made a comment about it after being silent for some time. Still, the tone in her voice suggest she wanted to change that.

"Yeah, but we should be doing what we think is right, right?" Cinder gave way to a topic she's been thinking about for the longest. Ozpin oppressed her so she can't do things her own way. She envies everyone else and wish to be given the same treatment. Now, this would be a perfect time to explain what's been plaguing her lately.

Before she could open her mouth and do just that, the sound of a pie exploding on contact to a victim's face was made and it might as well have been a siren. Everyone zoomed in onto Weiss who was frozen in place. Everyone looked at each other and Cinder smiled, standing up from her seat with a chuckle as she dared to propose an idea.

"Well girls, boys, Icequeen" she joked to get the prideful woman more riled up. "-You know there's only one way to settle this in a peaceful, diplomatic manner." This brought everyone's attention to Cinder. Ruby especially tilted her head and wanted to know what that might be.

"What do you suggest?"

* * *

"I suggest we keep our distance." A scenery change where two students walked right outside the cafeteria and grew closer with every step. One was a woman with green hair and tanned skin. The other student owned silver hair and rested his hands in his pockets. Both were dressed in Haven academy uniforms. Mercury gave his trusted partner his thoughts on what they should do as the cool, new kids here. Emerald brought it up to see what's the best way to not draw attention to themselves. No need to alert anybody in the enemy's territory.

"I mean, yeah, we could be seen as the loners, but it really isn't my style." A small quip came from her as that would make things either obvious or lack the ability to communicate with others in this school. Not like it personally mattered, she cared about Cinder and only Cinder. Any talks that come from it is a byproduct of her true goal.

"And what is exactly your style?" Mercury turned his head to face her as he asked this question.

"Don't speak unless spoken to." She spoke from her high horse with her eyes closed.

"Then you are playing the role I had just asked for you and I to play."

"Doesn't mean I have to be an edgelord about it." The two exchanged glances before chuckling it off. Casual banter, friendly discussion to avoid the painful reminder that their souls and fate were sealed to Salem. Moments like these are ones they cherish when it happens. Then reality kicks in and erase whatever fun they were having. Both of them feel a finger tap on their shoulders, causing them to turn at the same time.

"Oh right" began Mercury as he sized their third partner. "How could we forget about you." Clad in black and with twin pigtails matching her hair, an amused Neo smiles as she's involved into the mix. Emerald turned around and beamed a smile.

"We needed a fourth partner to make a team, and what better way than a master illusionist?" The exact wording caused MErcury to raise a brow.

"Are you saying she's better than you?"

"I'm not afraid to admit that." Neo gracefully takes a bow at the kind gesture from her teammate. "Go ahead and explore Neo. And don't let anyone see your true self. We're already in trouble as it is." The little lecture brought forth an eye roll from the petite woman and a simple nod was made to suggest the message is clear. Getting to do what she wants, Neo simply vanished from their presence and allowed the two a reprieve from her. Mercury chuckled at the idiosyncrasies from her.

"Wished she talked for once." The two eventually stood in front of the tall doors that led to the cafeteria.

"Welp, here we are. This should be where Cinder is right?"

"If not, at least we can see if the food is good here." Prior to the two getting a chance to open the door, a flood of students sprinted out the building in a panic, while two boys stayed to watch the potential battle. One blonde and the other in a light blue. Two squads were formed, cafeteria tables piled up to form a fortress for one and a milder version for a sole fighter. Team RWBY vs Team JNPR while Cinder acted as a spectator to the ensuing madness. To be fair, a free for all where no one had her back wasn't the best decision to undertake.

"Cinder!" Somehow through the sounds of plates breaking and tables smashing into other tables, the amnesiac woman managed to hear her name and looked surprised to see the two students she had met earlier before the docks incident took place. She walked forward with a smile.

"Oh, both of you are here. Emerald and..." She paused a moment as a frown formed on her face as she knows exactly who Mercury was.

"Did you forget?"

"I wish I did, can't forget a face like yours."

"I'll take it as a compliment then." Disgruntled at Mercury, Cinder decided to give a warm welcome anyway.

"I see you two are in uniform. Anyways, welcome to Beacon academy. Here are my friends" Cinder began as she points to the on-going fight. Right as she points, Yang was sent through the ceiling and hasn't returned quite yet after a homerun swing by Nora. "Yep, good friends of mine." Emerald and Mercury only looked with amusement as the teams went at it with no reservation and doing extensive damage to the environment. They weren't afraid of the potential combatants and see there's a huge room for sharpening their own skills in the meanwhile. Shortly after, Blake was annihilated and out for the fight, leaving Ruby by herself. This brought an opportunity and the half-maiden was going to take it .Ruby took a step back as she needed to plan her attack but Cinder rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Ruby, need some assistance?" There was a small pause before she continued. "Well, I was going to join in anyways if you said yes or no." Ruby glanced over to see the new combatants who were ready to enter. Ruby would much prefer taking them on herself but having some support wouldn't be bad.

"Thanks."

"Hold on, is this fair?" Jaune pointed out the substitution of three well-rested fighters coming into the mix.

"Are you scared of a little competition" asked Emerald with a smirk.

"N-no, it's just...you're fully rested is all."

"Come on, we're newcomers, we just want to feel right at home here at Beacon academy." Mercury definitely didn't want to miss a chance to fight. Ren only shrugged at this as he looked over to his team.

"I don't see no problem with this."

"Yeah, I get to add more victories under my belt." Nora showed no remorse on defeating her friends and keeping a mark of victories up to this point.

"Guess we'll have our rematch Pyrrha?" There was no one to stop Cinder or Pyrrha for now and their last match didn't have a satisfying conclusion. The undefeated champion only smiled as she readied her weapon of the cafeteria's french roll while Cinder did the same to be on equal footing. Taking the charge for her team, Cinder rushed ahead after her rival. Just as she got near, Cinder-

* * *

Slammed her door shut to get to class in a hurry. Perhaps the battle yesterday may have had an impact in her sleeping schedule and how her body ached. Her brain too but less so than her body. She ran out the dorms and out to the landscape of Beacon Academy with the sun beaming down with cloudless skies. She was booking it but didn't realized she was being tailed as well.

"Hey, wait up!" The yell behind her caused the tardy student to turn to see who's calling for her. A familiar face, Emerald was running in high gear but couldn't match her speed. Once she was face to face, the green-haired fighter was taking deep breaths as she got her second wind. "Jeez you run fast."

"Yeah, I'm late, my alarm didn't work." No need to revisit her misstep this early in the morning. Yang already embarrassed her and she rather forget about it. Understanding that they most likely will be reprimanded when they arrive, the two ran together. Still, Emerald made an optimistic comment about the potential future more so that it might come true.

"I hope this semester goes well for the both of us." Cinder turned and smiled at the innocent comment. She wasn't aware how deeply needed she was to both Ozpin and Salem.

"Yeah, I hope so too. I think this semester will be better than the last. Hope it is the same for you as well."


End file.
